Even through eternity
by Mariana-chan
Summary: Hey! This is just a note for ya all!!!
1. Default Chapter

1 Crossover between RK& Highlander  
  
- - - - - - - - - - - -  
  
The room wasn't very well lit. Actually it was quite dark, with only some candles casting some light against the room walls. A table could be seen right in the middle of the room, surrounded by lots of chairs. It looked like a dinner room, with large and old paintings on the wall. It wasn't a Japanese room; in fact it looked quite European, with red wallpaper and all the furniture was from a very dark wood.  
  
The door opened and a man came inside. He looked like he was searching for someone or something and, by the widening of his eyes, it looked like he had found it. He closed the door and made is way to one of the chairs, the one closer to a large chandelier, that cost a large amount of light over a man reading.  
  
"Timon, I've been searching for your old carcass for hours, old man!" Said the man that had just entered. He looked just about twenty or twenty five years old, with a long glossy blond hair, dark black eyes and a sarcastic smile on his thin lips. The man that was sitting, Timon, looked up at his companion and arched a thin eyebrow.  
  
"Is that so, Diego? To what does this 'old carcass' owes the honor of your company?"  
  
Timon, although referred to as an old carcass, didn't looked much older than the other man, but if the eyes still were the windows to one's soul, than these didn't hid the man experience. He looked like he had seen many strange things, normal people would have not understood. Diego pulled a chair closer to his friend and sat.  
  
"I'm very much sick of this town! I understand we have important business here, but can't we do it already and get off of here? You must understand, a man like me can't stand a place like this: no art, no poetry, no life and all these people are absolutely insipid."  
  
Timon raised and closed his book. He looked at his friend with contempt clear in his face.  
  
"It's a shame if you can't understand the importance of a clever wait. One muss not hurry things. One snitch in time prevents nine, my friend. Besides, Kyoto is not that insipid as you portrait it. Try the theater, look at the beautiful meadows, with cherry trees and, last but not least, the women."  
  
Diego cracked a smile and picked up the book Timon had placed over the table.  
  
"Hum… Reading the Odyssey again? You really are a proud bastard, aren't you?" Diego got no answer besides a glare. "The women, you say. Yeah right! If you'd let me run around looking for a nice one, but no… I have to stalk that girl all day for you, while your highness reads all day, in this ugly room."  
  
Timon approached Diego and took his book back with a snap. He then placed it back on the table.  
  
"That is the difference between us… in fact between all Greeks and Spanish. I consider your girl a very pretty one, or I wouldn't have waited so long. You, on the other hand, as all Spanish men, look only to a woman's breasts, legs and behind. If it does not fit your standers you are pretty much uninterested on her." Timon cost a questioning glare at the other man, as if daring him to declare he was wrong. But Diego didn't even bother to say a word. "I find her eyes a wonder of nature, Diego."  
  
"I see nothing marvelous in two blue eyes, old man. If you like them so much why did you left England?" Diego snapped back.  
  
"Oh, Diego, my child! How many times do you see a Japanese woman with eyes like hers? But it isn't just blue, it paints the glory of the skies, don't they?"  
  
Diego looked at Timon and started laughing. "By God, Timon, if someone heard you they might find you very much in love with that tomboy! And you've just seen her twice for five minutes. I'm the one who's forced to see her every boring move! If you like her so much, do it yourself."  
  
Timon walked to a cupboard and poured himself a drink in a crystal glass. He then sat in his chair again and looked at Diego, while drinking his amber drink. He looked very pleased with his friend's boredom.  
  
"Well, don't worry yourself with it no more. We will be making a move in less than two or three days, Diego my friend. Before long, Makimachi Misao will be something completely different from herself today."  
  
- - - - - - - - - - -  
  
Misao looked out her window to the hot day. The summer that year had been very hot and people even began to get sick over it. She had gone trough her chores with an indolence that had never been hers, but that high temperature was impossible to live with. All the Aoiya seemed a bit down, in fact.  
  
Misao dressed a light yukatta and made her way to the kitchen. That day that restaurant was very busy with lots of clients, because of the hot and unforgiving sun. The clients went there searching for good food and a cool shadowy place. Unfortunately the kitchen was horribly hot, not just because of the sun that entered trough a window, but also because of the burning wood used to cook. Drops of sweat made their way down Okon and Omasu's faces, remembering them that the day was still beginning. Misao picked a drag and handed it to Okon, who looked the worst of the two, and offered to take her place for a while.  
  
"Thank you, Misao. I think I'll take that offer."  
  
Okon received the drag and sat on a chair. Misao looked at her, while degutting a fish. Okon looked really tired and Omasu too. After degutting the fish, Misao offered to go to the well to get some fresh water for the three of them. She returned with a bucket fill with it, but the well must've been in the sun's range, for the water was lukewarm and the three women spat it disgustedly.  
  
"What are we going to offer to the clients that ask for water? After these days, most of them ask for it. And I think I'm going to be sick after drinking this." Omasu said. Okon sat again and cleaned her forehead with the drag. Misao looked at the water and tried to come up with something for a solution. Suddenly she raised her head.  
  
"What about that well in the forest?"  
  
"Nani?" Okon asked.  
  
"You know, that well that stands in the abandoned house property. It has lot of trees, I'm sure the sun hasn't been able to get trough them. I can go there and get some water."  
  
Okon didn't answer, but Omasu remembered something.  
  
"You just forgot something, Misao. That abandoned house isn't abandoned, anymore. It has been bought. I'm sure the owners wouldn't like you taking water out of their well."  
  
"I'm sure they won't mind if I take some buckets of water, Omasu. After all, I'm not drying up the well, am I?"  
  
"But Misao, you're going to bring two buckets fill with water all by yourself?" Omasu argued.  
  
"It's alright, Omasu. I'm going there right away."  
  
With further ado, Misao grabbed two buckets and walked out the door. The ever-present burning sun shot a clear beam at her back. Misao got out of the Aoiya property and entered a trail that took her to the forest. Misao knew that trail very well, considering she made it every day to serve Aoshi's tea to him, at the Temple. Walking there remembered Misao of the last time she had seen the man. It had been a week ago and, since then, she had avoided him.  
  
• Flashback—  
  
Misao sat in front of Aoshi has he drank his tea. His eyes were almost closed and he never once looked at her, since she had entered that room. Misao knew that day wasn't like the others, that day she had decided she was going to tell Aoshi how she felt. She was sure he already knew, but that way she would force him to reveal his felling for her. She had got sick of guessing everything with him; she wanted a straight answer for once.  
  
She filled her lungs with oxygen and prepared for her speech.  
  
"Aoshi-sama, I've been meaning to tell you something." As she expected he didn't even acknowledged her voice. He always did that, so she didn't feel demoralized. "I… I love you." She hadn't mean for it to be that simple, she had planned it to be preceded of a clear speech that would prepare him for what was coming. But the words had simply made their way out of her mouth, and every plan had been turned to nothing more than hopes. She had stated her case; it was now up to him.  
  
He didn't say a thing for a while and didn't even look at her. He looked like he was considering something, but he made no move and he would have easily passed has a deaf man, for he looked like he hadn't heard a thing Misao had said. Then he raised his lids and locked his eyes with her and Misao knew what he was going to say. She could easily see the sadness and the pity he felt for her, even if he tried to hide it.  
  
"Misao, even if I'm highly honored by your feelings, I don't partake of them. I'm sorry." Had been his answer. Clear, plain and simple. He didn't love her. Misao felt her breathing become raged and she understood she had to get out of the room, if she didn't want Aoshi to see her cry. She made her excuse and ran out. Outside, when the hot air made contact with her skin, Misao felt a growing iciness in her chest, surrounding her heart. His face wouldn't get out of her way, it looked like he was still looking at her face, saying those heartless words! She had always considered the risk she took, if she confessed her love to him, but after doing it, even after the result, she felt like a huge weight had been took off of her shoulders. But another weight had been placed instead of the previous one. The weight of misery. She felt lower than dust, she felt like she had been taken her most desiring and daring wish she had.  
  
Tears had blurred her walk back to the Aoiya and, before she knew it, she was looking at the restaurant's gates. Even if the afternoon was already ending, the sun hadn't set yet and the sky had a red shade across it and the clouds were pink. She entered the compound and went to her room. When she got there, she let her true tears free.  
  
1.1 End Flashback  
  
Even after some time, when Misao remembered that day, she could feel tears coming to her eyes and her lungs constrict. After that day, she had felt so lost! With no reason to go on and nothing to motivate her. She had lived the last weeks as if she had been in a parallel universe, for she still didn't know what to do with her life, who to cling to. She remembered the past days, as a continuous number of hours mixed together, nothing more.  
  
She came to the place were she had to go right, to go to the well, or left, to go to the Temple. She found that fork a very good representation of her life: would she go on living her life after Aoshi's shadow and scrappy bits of attention, or would she go on without him and construct a new Misao? After some seconds of thought, Misao toke a deep breath and moved to the right side of the rode. She had made her choice.  
  
After some minutes, she arrived at the well. She was surprised to find the well surrounded by a very beautiful garden and a trail of pretty little white rocks. The new owner of the well had obviously done that and it was beautiful. She got closer to the well and grabbed the rope to knot the bucket to it. She released her hold on the bucket and watched it disappear inside the well's darkness. She pulled the rope a little and concluded that the bucket must've been fill already, so she pulled the rope until the bucket appeared fill with water.  
  
"Great! This isn't very far from the Aoiya. I'll get back in no time." Misao thought out loud.  
  
"Hum… is that so?" A voice asked, behind her. Scared, Misao let go of the bucket and turned around. At about five meters away stud two men that looked a little older than her, one with stunning blonde hair, the other looked like a cynical bastard. The last one had is black hair cut short and wore European clothes, while his friend dressed in Japanese clothes.  
  
"Who… Who are you?" Misao asked. The blonde man smiled at her and turned to his companion.  
  
"See, Timon? I told you she was here, didn't I?" The other one, named Timon, didn't even acknowledged the man's words, so busy was he staring at Misao. "So, can we do it, already? I'm sick of the waiting."  
  
Misao was starting to feel a little scared. Do what? Why was that man staring at her that way? And why did it looked like those men knew her?  
  
"Who are you?" She asked again. The one named Timon answered.  
  
"We, my dear, are the owners of this land."  
  
Misao felt a kind of relief come in to her.  
  
"Oh! I'm truly sorry for being inside your property, but this is the only well I know that has cool water these days. And I thought you wouldn't mind all that much." She said. Timon seemed to consider her words.  
  
"Well, we really couldn't care less about the well, my dear. On the other hand, we do care about YOU, Makimachi Misao."  
  
"How… how do you know my name?"  
  
The blond man laughed. "Little girl, we know everything there is to know about you. Which isn't all that much, since you've had a pretty boring life trough out your twenty year old life."  
  
"Shut your stupid mouth, Diego. You're scaring our little one."  
  
Misao was livid. Who were those men? She felt like throwing her kunai at them, but she was at the same time, frozen to the spot.  
  
"What do you want from me?"  
  
"Rest assured, we aren't going to rape you or anything. That would be very unpleasant, wouldn't it?" Diego said. He had a particular vicious smile in his face, as if he knew something she didn't. He looked at her and at his companion, who continued to stare at her. Timon steeped in front and smiled at Misao.  
  
"My dear, you have a great potential hidden in you. You'll make a great lam for me. But, before that, we must do something to you."  
  
Misao steeped back, looking warily at both men. She hadn't like the sound of those words Timon had just said. What did he mean with lam? She felt her hand move to her back, to get a kunai. But they must've suspected, because Diego appeared to produce a sword from his back. Timon steeped back and let Diego fight. Misao took all her kunai and observed Diego's move, but the man seemed to wait for her, so she threw two kunai right at his face. With a quick move of his sword the two kunai were on the floor, in front of him, without having touched him. Misao didn't felt has badly has she should, she had the rest of her kunai, after all. And now she knew her adversary's strength.  
  
Diego's sword wasn't as the other swords she had seen: it was thin, with no blade and had sharp end. She had heard of swords like that one, they were called foil and were European. Misao was going to throw another round of kunai, when Timon steeped in front of her.  
  
"Diego, how many times have I told not to use that sword. They are useless in a fight."  
  
Misao was quite taken aback with that. Timon had deliberately interrupted a fight to say that? She was looking at them now. They were arguing heatedly.  
  
"What do you mean useless? This is my ancestors sword, how dare you say ill of it?" Diego shout.  
  
"Stop shouting, I'm not deaf. You won't harm anyone with that sword and you know it." Timon said.  
  
"I thought you didn't want me to cut her head!"  
  
"Would you just shut up?"  
  
"Well, if I can«t fight with this, how would you like me to do it now?"  
  
Suddenly Timon turned around, facing Misao, and pointed a gun at her. Misao gasped as she saw what he was holding in his hand. Diego stud where he was and only smiled at her, while Timon said something. But Misao didn't hear him. She could only see that gun, in front of her. She still couldn't believe something like that was happening to her. Those two men had to be insane! The bad part about it was that she, most probably, was going to die soon. She tried to hear what Timon was saying, but she seemed to have only caught the ending.  
  
"Bye, Misao. We'll see each other soon."  
  
And, with that, Misao heard him pull the trigger and saw, almost in slow motion, that round iron bullet flight right at her and crash against her chest. Misao felt something break trough her skin and a burning ache, when the bullet entered the flesh. She could only feel that strange burning sensation, for she lost touch in her members. She could see herself falling and then she felt the rock from the well bang the back of her head. Then everything went black.  
  
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
  
How does one image Heaven? Would one really see these huge gates of golden wonder, suspended upon pink clouds, with a great number of angels there? With all the people one knew and lost, there receiving one to their new home? Could one see the living from up there, like looking down and seeing all the loved ones doing their everyday life or mourning the dead?  
  
It didn't really matter in the end, did it? When Misao opened her eyes she expected to see a spectacle of lights and colors, all there to receive her to her new home. She expected all the beautiful angels there. But what she saw was a strange hard punch in the face. She was in a room, laying in a stretcher and nothing more. She immediately looked at her chest, expecting to see the bullet wound, but she only found the blood on her shirt and nothing more. She didn't hurt at all! She raised her hand to touch her nape, expecting it to be bleeding, but again she only found the dried blood in her hair and nothing more. After all of this she could have easily doubted she had even gone out the Aoiya in searched for water and found those crazy men. But there was always the blood in her shirt and in her hair.  
  
After this, she could just panic. Even if the bullet wound hadn't been fatal, she should have the hole there. Where was it? How could she be alive after all that pain? It couldn't be possible that what had happened could be right. Most probably she had had a wound but nothing like she had though. But she didn't have one single wound! Not even a scar, nothing.  
  
And where was she? She looked around the room, trying to find something familiar, but failed completely. The room was absolutely unknown to her. It had a window, but Misao didn't trust herself to walk all the way to the wall. She just felt so lost! She was sure she was going to start screaming and, if she did, she wouldn't stop.  
  
The door from the room opened and Misao saw, with horror on her face, the blonde man go inside. He entered and sat on a chair Misao hadn't seen before. He looked so at ease with her and he seemed to expect her to be fully well. He just stared at her and she stared at him. Misao, for the first time in her life, felt completely petrified and scared.  
  
"So, Misao, how do you feel?" When Misao didn't answer he went on. " I remember when it happened to me, I was pretty confused, not to say afraid. Can you believe it if I told you that I thought I was a demon from hell or something? Well, can you blame me? I had died from a sword wound… a pretty vicious one in fact… and then I woke up as if I'd been asleep? And you know what? I was pretty much fucked. I had died in a duel, so I couldn't really just go back and say 'Hey everyone, I'm not dead after all'. So, I had to run away from Spain, for a while. Hey, you're listening?" Misao just stared at him, but he seemed to have accepted it has a yes. "That's when I found Timon. He's Greek, you know? A proud bastard, but a great sword fighter. He tough me everything there is to now about us. He's been here for more than three hundred years, you know? I'm just two and a half centuries old. Pretty young compared to him, ne?"  
  
Misao's brain felt like it was going to crash, with the rush of words, facts and sounds all around her. Three hundred years? What was that? A joke? But then, she had died and came back? If so, what did that mean? Did Kami think she still had a mission before dying and sent her back? But that monster, Diego, and apparently Timon too, were given that too? But…  
  
"What happened to me?" She managed to ask, after a while. Diego smiled.  
  
"Misao, you died, my dear. You were dead for about an hour and a half. The first time it takes more time to come back, but you'll get it faster and faster. Can you believe Timon wakes up after three or two minutes?"  
  
"You mean I died and came back to life?"  
  
"Yes, exactly. You, Misao, like me, Timon and many others, are an Immortal. You cannot die, unless another Immortal cuts your head in a duel. Other than that, if no one cuts your head, you'll be pretty much alive for hundreds of years. You'll not grow old and you'll look eternally like you do now."  
  
Misao would have fainted, if she were inclined to it. Unfortunately, she wasn't, so she could just stare at that man again. He then got up and left. He closed the door behind him and Misao could hear his steeps trough the door. She felt all her reality was turning curiosity strange. She was an Immortal. The mere thought was laughable, if had been in another situation, but where she was she could just shake her head and declare Diego was either really mad or he had been playing with her. But why would he do such a thing? Unless it was a strange innocent joke, it was pretty much sick.  
  
But, what if it was true? What if she really was an Immortal? Everything in the last hours pointed to it and not the opposite. The fact that could swear she still remember the pain the bullet had brought, the touch that burned and that rock heating her back head, bringing welcomed blackness. And then waking up, with no wound at all, just some bloodstains, and no pain at all. Diego seemed so at ease with it!  
  
After calming down a bit, Misao started to think of a way to get out of that room and back to the Aoiya. The window she had seen before was huge, with wide glazing. She could only see the blue sky, while sitting on the stretcher, but when she raised and came closer to it, she saw were her room was located. It seemed the house was built over a cliff and her room had a direct view to it, with all the rocks and pointed edges one might think off. So the only way out of the room, was trough that cliff, getting down clinging to the house's exterior walls.  
  
"If I do this, I'll die for certain."  
  
But, after all, she had died already and had came back, hadn't she? If what she had heard was right, she couldn't die from a fall. The thing was- was it true? Maybe when putting her in that room and saying those things to her, they were expecting her to do exactly what she was thinking. But, yet again, what would be the point in that? Timon had mentioned a lam, was that what he was referring to? Misao found that rather unlikely. He and his sick friend had to have a point in all that.  
  
So, after sometime of thought, Misao concluded she had nothing to lose, for she would eventually die with those two. She opened the glazing and felt the wind come inside the room and touch her skin and hair.  
  
"Nothing to lose, Misao. Remember that."  
  
Misao placed a hand and a foot in the window's frame and raised her weigh on them. The other hand came to rest on the wall outside, while the other foot joined the first one. The house's walls weren't of wood, but stone, to Misao's pleasure, for it make it easier to descend. Foot after foot hand after hand, Misao was almost touching ground when a strong felling surrounded her. Misao couldn't describe it. It wasn't pain or pleasure, it was just a sense that the walls were dissolving and just one important thing stud, but Misao didn't know what that thing was. Before the sensation disappeared, Misao lost her foot and her body fell the rest of the way to the ground. Her body crashed to the ground with a loud thud and Misao could feel some bones in her body break and some blood coming from a wound near her eye.  
  
After that Misao didn't know what to feel like. They had lied to her, for she was bleeding and that certainly wasn't supposed to happen. She raised herself as quick as she could and started walking away from the house. She had to realize what had happened that day, had to figure out who those men were, if they were Onibanshu's enemies or something like that.  
  
She heard the sound of water running, near her, so she ran after the sound and found a little stream between a green and yellow meadow. Yes, she would clean herself and then she would be less conspicuous in town. She cupped her right hand, fill it with water and raised to her face to get it clean of the blood there. After taking all the blood, Misao could see the deep wound there, which ran from her hairline to near her eye. She could feel a smirk form itself on her lips. Immortal… Yeah right!  
  
She stopped laughing, however, when she saw the deep cut simply disappear and cure itself, leaving no scar, leaving nothing at all. Misao ran her hand trough her face, searching for that cut and could only feel her smooth skin, even when pressing she felt no pain. She moved her left harm that had been broken she some minutes ago and felt it move like always, as if cured.  
  
Misao breathed in and tried to control herself. So, they had been saying the truth and she could cure herself and not die and… she was an Immortal! She felt her legs take her back to the city and to the Aoiya. And when there, what to do? What to say? She couldn't exactly say what had happen, could she? If she said it, she would have to hide all her new discoveries and face the option of her family going after those two and getting themselves killed. She couldn't allow that. No, she would have to hide it. But how to explain the bloodied clothes and where she had been all that time? She was supposed to be bringing water.  
  
Misao stopped her thoughts when she got to that fork and stopped. Not because of the thought she had when she had last crossed that path, but because she felt that sensation again. Like the world was revolving around him and she had a sense of not being alone. It started to abate when Misao turned around and found herself face to face with Aoshi.  
  
She had no idea what to do now. She was facing the last person she wanted to see, with her clothes all bloodied and a dirty face. She could see that he was wondering what she was doing there, but he didn't said a thing, as always. He was waiting for her to say something, when he let his eyes wander over her and he took her sight in.  
  
"What happened, Misao? Who's that blood's from?" He asked.  
  
Misao's mind started running around and around, trying to find an answer that would seem plausible. And she found one.  
  
"It's not mine, Aoshi-sama. To my disgust, I tripped and fell over a dead carcass."  
  
She could see Aoshi was highly surprised, but the fact that she was talking to him after all that time made him forget it.  
  
"Are you sure you're alright?" Misao nodded and turned around to walk, but felt him starting to move along side her. She stopped.  
  
"What are you doing?" She asked him. Aoshi seemed mildly surprised.  
  
"I'm going to the Aoiya, why? Do you wish to go by yourself?"  
  
That had been a rhetorical question, but Misao didn't lost the opportunity. "Yes, yes I would prefer it that way, if you may."  
  
She could see she had taken him by surprise but he nodded and headed for the woods. Misao started walking again and was near the Aoiya's gate after some minutes. She had already an excuse for the blood in her clothes, but she still had no idea what she was going to do. She couldn't stay in the Aoiya and see all her friends age, while she stayed the same. For once it would be too depressing and second, they would suspect if she was fifty-two and looked like twenty. She couldn't stay at the Himura's for it would be the same. He only choice was to pack her things and travel the world. She would settle someplace else, where she wouldn't have to give nobody anything, where she owed nothing to anybody.  
  
She had made her way to her room and, while the sunset, Misao looked around her, seeing what she would take and what she would leave behind forever. She would have to remember. After a while she had a large suitcase and she would have a hard time carrying it. She would have to get away at night, but it would take a while. She was finishing packing, when Omasu called for dinner.  
  
Misao sat at the table looking at all of them. Okina ate and drank while laughing at Kuro's joke. He looked so happy! He had always been such a happy old man. Kuro just talked and talked, he didn't seemed to run out of jokes that night. Shiro laughed too, sometimes choking on food or drink. Okon looked much better than that morning. How that morning seemed far away now! Omasu was always patting Shiro's back, trying to help him when he choked. She was wearing a beautiful kimono that night. Misao would have to remember that. Aoshi... he looked like he always did. Composed, cool and unmoved by a thing. Misao had had that feeling again when she had entered the dinning room. He seemed to have forgotten what had happened when they had meet, for he drank his tea quietly and looked at no one. She would miss him a lot. Even after what had happened, she would miss him terribly. All of them in fact, but she would be miserable without her Aoshi-sama. Silently she said goodbye to her family.  
  
That night Misao picked her things and left. Twenty minutes later she was in the train station with a ticked to no where in particular. 


	2. Flashbacks and chitchats

1 Crossover between RK & Highlander  
  
- - - - - - - - -  
  
Prague, Czech Republic, 2001  
  
In a city like Prague it's hard to feel sad, especially for foreigners. The city's beauties are captivating and the old structures seem to take a person on a time travel. Not that Misao needed a time travel, she had had her own with help from no one. Traveling to Prague was a sort of vacation, a way to get away from her job. An old friend, Nicolai Mastny, had sent her.  
  
Sitting in the back sit of the cab, Misao looked out the window. She was heading for the old part of the city, where her friend had his house. She had just left the airport and had her bags in the trunk. The trip from Paris to Prague wasn't all that tiring, but Misao was feeling rather low, as if something wrong was going to happen.  
  
Nicolai had called her in Paris, where she had been living, and had asked her to meet him. She had meet Nicolai a century ago, more or less, in the beginning of the 20th century, in London. She had been visiting the town, when she felt him, entering the Hotel where she was staying. They had stayed together for a long time, but separated when the First World War begun. He had gone back to Prague, hoping to join the army, and she had stayed in London, working for the government. He had been her lover for sometime, but they had never seen each other since the London incident, until now when he had called her.  
  
Misao knew something had to be wrong, for him to call her up. She didn't even know he knew where she was living and he wasn't the sort to use good sources unless he really was in trouble. But what could have driven him to call her? She, that wasn't older then a century and a half or something! He was much older than she was; he had to be five centuries old, if she remembered correctly.  
  
The cab came to a stop near an old building, with three floors and a decrepit front. The driver barked the bill in German and Misao grabbed her wallet.  
  
"Danke schon." He replied when Misao paid him.  
  
Misao opened the door and took her bag from the trunk. It was a windy and foggy day, in Prague, and one could see it was going to rain sooner or later. Misao headed for the building's door and climbed the stairs. Since the building was an old one it had no bell and the main door was opened. As soon as Misao stepped inside, she felt the presence of an Immortal, with that sensation she had grown so accustomed to.  
  
The stairs were of wood and Misao's heels made a clank every time she dropped her foot. Even with her warm leather jacket, Misao could feel the building's humidity. The walls had stains and the stairs screeched. She was half way there, when she heard a door open and steps moving in her direction. Then she saw him. As expected he hadn't changed a thing, except his hair, it was longer than it used to be. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a woolen sweater. He smiled when he saw her, moving in her direction with wide arms, to receive her in a tight hug.  
  
"Oh, ma chère! Je ne croi pas que toi est venue ici!" [My dear! I can't believe you came here!] He said, still holding her. Misao smiled in his chest, trying to remember everything they had gone through.  
  
"Warum nicht?" [Why not?] She replied in German.  
  
"Weil ich dir schon lange nicht gesehen habe." [Because I haven't seen you in a long time.]  
  
"Well, let me in, will you? I hope your flat isn't as cold as these hideous stairs are." Misao picked her bag up and moved to go inside of Nicolai's apartment. He came after her and closed the door. It was a very large flat, with a large living room that combined with the entry, only a counter separated the kitchen and then there were three other rooms that Misao couldn't see. Misao dropped her bag and looked at Nicolai. He was leaning against the door, looking at her.  
  
"I like your hair that way. I always thought the short hair gave you a look of a sixteen year old girl." He said. Misao laughed and sat on one of the large couches. She felt herself drown in that brown couch. Nicolai came closer and poured them two drinks. "Still like it shaken?"  
  
"Hai." Misao replied. "So will you tell me now why I'm here?"  
  
Nicolai grabbed the two glasses and gave her one. Then he sat in one of the couches. He stared at the bottom of his glass for ages.  
  
"You've must have heard that there have been some… issues between Immortals and Watchers." Nicolai said. Watchers were a group of people that, throughout the ages, had been watching the Immortals and reporting every important event in their community. Watchers as the name said, didn't intervened, they just watched. When Misao raised an eyebrow, Nicolai continued. "There are reports of Watchers intervening in Immortals actions."  
  
"What? How? When?" Misao asked amazed.  
  
"It's just a small group of Watchers, that are doing it against all the rules and hiding it from their partners. But, beside that, what we must worry is why they are doing it."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Well, that's when other Immortals come in. I don't know exactly, but it seems we have our own working against the rules of the Game. It's all very confusing and very few are able to fully comprehend this. As there are very few who have all the facts in their hands. All of these… occurrences have taken place in one country." Nicolai said.  
  
"Which one?"  
  
"Japan." Misao turned pale. Since she had discovered her true essence and had run away from her family and friend, Misao had never stepped on Japanese land again. She had lived one hundred and nineteen years without ever going there. She visited many countries and had made many friends, some of them Immortals some of them not, but she had avoided her country.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Flashback  
  
Misao looked at the sea. That was the only thing separating from her country. That and her will. She had decided never to go there again, at least for a couple of centuries. She had bought a ticket to China, with some of her savings, and was now on the first day of the trip. She found the sea wind very soothing and good for loneliness, as well as the gentle rocking of the ship, breaking the waves.  
  
She had forced herself to wear a kimono, for it would be awfully conspicuous if she ran around the ship wearing shorts. She bought five or six of them in a shop near the place where she had bought her ticket. She was wearing one right at that moment, of white with blue and pink butterflies, with a blue obi. Her hair was still in its customary braid though. She was strolling on the deck, when she had that outbreak of feeling again. Her head felt like it was spinning or was it the world around her? It seemed to move much faster than it used to. Then it started to abate, when a man came closer to her. He looked a bit older than her, with a very long and thin moustache, brown hair and he was dressed as an European. He smiled and bowed.  
  
"Good day, dear lady." Misao could only stare at him, when he picked her right hand and kissed it. She snapped it back and the man smiled again. "I'm truly sorry to have offended you, but that is one of the habits I couldn't lose when I came here. In France we do it all the time, since the 15th century. I know, I was there."  
  
Misao could say nothing and the man took the opportunity to place her arm in his and started walking along side her.  
  
"You've not said a word, madam. May I know your name? Oh, come come! You must've felt me, no?" He said, smiling at her.  
  
"I felt a sort of dizziness, yes." Misao said, trembling.  
  
"Well, see? But you must be a very young one, if you do not recognize one of your own. You know that dizziness is what warns us of another Immortal, don't you?" Misao stared down, while he talked. "How old are you, little one?"  
  
"Twenty."  
  
"Twenty years old? My, my. I'm seven hundred years old and my name is Adrien. I'm very pleased to meet you."  
  
"Makimachi Misao. I'm pleased to meet you, Sir."  
  
Adrien had walked with her the rest of the afternoon and they had became acquainted with each other during the trip. When they got to China, Adrien offered her his company and, for the next twenty years they had been teacher and pupil. Adrien had taught her everything he could, from sword fighting to gun shooting, even passing through lessons of etiquette and womanly behavior. He had given her a whole new life, introducing her to that German and French court. She had played the part of the exotic Japanese woman that amazed everyone. Until the day when, like everything good, it ended. Adrien was killed in a duel, a duel with another Immortal. A fight he could never win and that took away his life.  
  
Misao had left France and went to London, where she had meet Nicolai.  
  
1.1 End Flashback  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Misao raised from her seat on the couch and wandered around the living room. It was a nice room, with a cozy burning fire, nice tapestries and paintings. Lying on a table was a old picture, a photograph of the two of them. She was wearing the common beginning of the 20th century dress, holding an umbrella, smiling. Nicolai was resting his weigh on a walking cane, dressed in a clean and beautiful suit. He had always had a great taste in clothes, most of the times it had been him who had chosen her clothes.  
  
She looked more closely and saw the earrings she had been wearing. They had been a gift from Adrien, made of silver with dairly sparklings and with a small ruby in each one. She still had those earrings, kept away from harm, considering they were part of the small group of souvenirs she still had from Adrien.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Flashback  
  
"What is it that you are doing, Adrien?" Misao asked, laughing.  
  
"Me? Why, Mi-chan, what ill thoughts you have of me!"  
  
Misao laughed again. She drank a bit on the liqueur he had given her. It tasted good, Misao figured, with a taste of bitter in an ocean of sweet.  
  
"Yes you. Don't play the innocent part with me, I know you very well, remember. I've seen you courting that young lady… what is her name? Oh! Constance, isn't it? What evil projects do you have for that child?"  
  
Adrien laughed for some good five minutes.  
  
"Someone who might listen might think you're much older than she is. You're merely thirty-five years old. Not that much."  
  
Misao laughed a little and put on a hurt look.  
  
"You're so mean!"  
  
Adrien opened a drawer in his desk and took a little box from it. Then he made his way near the couch where she was sitting. He sat near her.  
  
"I've got a gift for you, little one." He placed the box in her hand and urged her to open it. Inside the velvet box was a pair of beautiful and exquisite earrings. The symbiosis between the rubies and the earrings brilliant was amazing. Misao put the earrings on and moved closer to the mirror. Adrien came closer to her and held her from behind. "Worthy of a queen, don't you think?"  
  
"Adrien, they are beautiful." Misao turned and hugged him. "Thank you so much. I don't deserve it!"  
  
"Tonight we'll be dining in the Count's house. You'd not wish to turn up not dressed for the occasion, would you?" He said. "Think of it as a birthday gift in advance." Misao smiled at him in return. "Now, what dress will you wear tonight?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know. I haven't thought of it yet."  
  
"If it were a sword, you would've thought of it already. You're still a little tomboy, aren't you? My little tomboy."  
  
1.2 End Flashback  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Nicolai, you know my feeling towards Japan, don't you?" Misao said, still looking at the photograph. She felt Nicolai move, walking to her side. He placed a hand in her shoulder.  
  
"Yes, I know. But I also know we have a mad man on the run in Japan, the Watchers are going gu-gu and you're the only one I know that knows Japan like the palm of her hand. Especially Kyoto. Most of it has happened in Kyoto, and almost every Japanese Immortal is there. Your friend… what's his name?"  
  
"Saitoh, Haijime Saitoh. What? He's there too?" Misao asked in amazement. She had come to know Saitoh much better than before. She had meet him one day, in Germany, when she was still with Adrien. She had felt his presence entering the room of one of the biggest gambling house in Berlin. They had seen each other, but hadn't talked until Saitoh greeted Adrien and they talked like old friends. They had stayed together for some days and then Saitoh had returned to Japan. Misao had felt ecstatic when she realized not everyone of her time was going to die while she was strolling the world. Of course that thought had brought another and it had been with extreme control that Misao hadn't asked about him. About Aoshi. That man, even though more than a hundred years had pass, was still very much alive in her head.  
  
Nicolai interrupted her thought. "Yes, he called me the other day, telling me to get to you. Apparently they need all the help they can get, over there. After all we are fighting against Immortals and Watchers now. Saitoh has constructed a huge network of surveillance over Japan and he's trying to locate that madman. You know Saitoh, he's always been good in those kinds of jobs."  
  
"He was a cop when they killed him and turned him into an Immortal." Misao said, absentminded.  
  
"That explains it." Nicolai said, picking up a pack of cigarettes. "Want one? Oh, you don't smoke anymore?" He lighted it and took a drag from it. "You understand now why I called you." Smoke was coming out of his mouth, while he spoke. " I'm going to Japan the day after tomorrow. Will you come with me?"  
  
"No. You know I swore I'd never step foot in that country again, at least for some centuries." Misao said. Nicolai walked around the room for a while, wondering what to say. He took long drags from his cigarette and, after some minutes, it was over. He quickly lighted another one.  
  
"Misao, I've respected your… feelings towards Japan, but no one, except Saitoh, that you know is alive. They are all dead, Misao. Don't you want to know where they are buried? What happened to them after you left? If they have descendents? Damn it, Misao! It ain't gonna bite you, if you go there." He stopped for a while to catch his breath and to take a drag of the cigarette. "We need all the help we can get, Misao. You worked as a spy in Kyoto, so you are a valuable ally in all this."  
  
Misao ran his words through her mind. Did she really want to know where they were buried? Where Aoshi was buried? She felt her mind split into two different parts, one that didn't want to take the chance of hurting herself even more, and the other that couldn't wait to get to the plane. Misao sat on the couch again and looked at Nicolai.  
  
"Alright, I'll go with you. I'll back you up in every way I can, but if I find anything displeasing I'll return without second thoughts."  
  
Misao could see Nicolai wanted to ask her what were those 'displeasing' things, but decided against it, concluding that he had, at least, convinced her.  
  
"Good. Then you sleep here and the day after tomorrow, we'll get on a plane to Kyoto. Saitoh is meeting us there." 


	3. A graveyard looks for storm

Well, here's the third chappie. Hope you like it! Oh, BTW Aoshi doesn't appear in this chapter, but don't worry he will, later.  
  
  
  
"… We will be landing in ten minutes in Kyoto. The  
  
temperature in Kyoto is 12 degrees…"  
  
Misao didn't bother to listen to the rest and looked  
  
out the window, where she could see her city. The trip  
  
from Prague to Kyoto hadn't been that big, but a  
  
constant nervousness ate away at her. She could see  
  
the tall buildings, the lights of the city, some  
  
yellow some red; one could really see Kyoto was a city  
  
with life.  
  
Misao looked at her other side, where Nicolai was  
  
sitting, reading a large book. He looked absolutely  
  
relaxed, as if he didn't know they were working  
  
against a powerful mad man. The stewardess came closer  
  
to them and asked him to put the cigarette out, once  
  
it was prohibited during the landing. Nicolai closed  
  
his book and looked at her.  
  
"So, how are you coping?" Nicolai asked, smiling.  
  
"You know what? I think I missed the retched town!"  
  
Misao said. Yeah, she missed the town, but the mere  
  
thought of visiting Jiya's grave gave her a queezy  
  
feeling. She had never wanted to think about the death  
  
of that old man and the disappointment he must have  
  
felt when she had simply disappeared with no word. How  
  
had they reacted when they found out she had gone  
  
away, without even leaving a letter or talking to one  
  
of them. Misao had, over the years, regretted ever  
  
leaving them like that. The constant memories of them  
  
were heart breaking. Sometimes at night she would have  
  
nightmares about Jiya's death or one where Aoshi came  
  
to her and died too. If she hadn't been Immortal, she  
  
was sure she would have already been dead, because of  
  
those nightmares.  
  
She was still deep in her thoughts when she felt  
  
Nicolai shake her arm.  
  
"We've landed, Misao."  
  
They got out of the plane and headed for the check  
  
out. The airport was packed, with people everywhere.  
  
Misao didn't like environments full with people very  
  
much, for she would have that feeling whenever an  
  
Immortal came close. At first she had been amazed with  
  
the number of Immortals one could find in a public  
  
place. She grabbed her bag and dressed in her long  
  
coat. Even if it was kind of hot, Misao knew it didn't  
  
last very much and, in no time, the cold would  
  
eventually take the city.  
  
Nicolai guided her through the crowd until Misao  
  
recognized a tall figure. Saitoh. She didn't know he  
  
was supposed to be waiting for them.  
  
"Well, well! You did come, Weasel!" Misao was, for a  
  
while, a bit confused: she hadn't heard that hated  
  
nickname for so long!  
  
"Ohayo for you too, Psycho cop."  
  
Saitoh guided them out of the airport, to a black car  
  
that was waiting for them. Saitoh barked an address to  
  
the chauffeur and then turned to them.  
  
"You're staying in an apartment in a building we own.  
  
I think it's fine for you. It's spacious and not very  
  
conspicuous."  
  
Misao looked at the passing scenery. She still saw  
  
some of the old buildings, some of them had been  
  
renewed, but the majority was of big, tall buildings.  
  
Misao sighed. Just like any other city!  
  
Saitoh proved to be kind of nice, telling Nicolai a  
  
bit of the city's history, telling him of the great  
  
fights he had seen in there. Saitoh had, over the  
  
years, managed to get over the fact that Kenshin was  
  
better than him and would always beat him. Of course  
  
when Kenshin grew older, along side Kaoru and their  
  
kids, Saitoh probably would have had the chance of  
  
beating him, but to him that would have been a  
  
disgrace. So Saitoh settled for telling he had fought  
  
against and along side great swords men, him being one  
  
too. Of course he didn't forget to mention Aoshi.  
  
"Aoshi?" Nicolai asked, diverting his eyes to her.  
  
"I've heard this name somewhere. Did you know him,  
  
Misao?" Before Misao could open her mouth Saitoh  
  
answered for her.  
  
"Of course she did! He kind of raised her, didn't he?"  
  
Misao glared at him, but he was busy looking out the  
  
window. "Alright, people. This is it. I would love to  
  
take you two to your apartment, but I have better  
  
things to do. See you around."  
  
The chauffeur took their bags out of the trunk and  
  
transported them to the main door. Misao got her bag  
  
and looked at the pair of keys, where the number eight  
  
and the letter A was written. They rang for the  
  
elevator and went to the eight floor. The flat was  
  
indeed big! The door gave way to an enormous living  
  
room. The living room had two doors, one to a dining  
  
room and the other to a corridor. That corridor had  
  
access to two rooms, the dining room, the kitchen, the  
  
bathroom and a terrace. Both rooms had balconies that  
  
gave way to a terrace. Misao had to agree the house  
  
was beautiful.  
  
"This is supposed to be non-conspicuous?" Nicolai  
  
asked, looking at one of the rooms over her shoulder.  
  
"Hum… Okay, whatever! Which room do you want, Misao?"  
  
They settled down and placed their clothes in closets.  
  
After a while, Misao entered Nicolai's room.  
  
"Nicolai, I'm going out, okay?"  
  
"But, where are you going? I'm the foreigner here,  
  
remember?"  
  
"I'm just going to wander a bit, but I'll return in no  
  
time."  
  
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
  
Even when the sun is shining in it's fullest, in the  
  
prettiest of days, there are places that will never  
  
shine, places that will never transmit nothing but  
  
suffering, pain and desolation. One of those places is  
  
the graveyard. That place where you finally end, the  
  
place where you stare at a stone instead of the face.  
  
Misao pushed her hair back and cleaned her tears with  
  
the back of her hand. In front of her was one of those  
  
stones, the fifth one she saw in the same day, with a  
  
name and some dates.  
  
Jiya…  
  
There it was, the proof. He had died at seventy-two  
  
years and, most probably, laughing.  
  
«With all the love from those present and the loved  
  
absent. Loving friend, father and grandfather.»  
  
'The loved absent'. That was her, the one that had  
  
ran, without a word of explanation. Misao's knees gave  
  
in and she fell over the grave, crying. She felt so  
  
lost, so alone! Even if it had to happen, she couldn't  
  
believe he had left, that he hadn't been chosen to be  
  
like her, with her forever. Once again Misao  
  
considered her state a curse. A curse decorated with  
  
gold and that gave her what so many wished for… but  
  
still very much a curse. She had to go through  
  
centuries without her family and friends. Those  
  
friends that she had met when every second gave a damn  
  
to her. Now every year passed by and she looked at it  
  
only as a number. Before she had always been so  
  
anxious for her birthday, now she kind of had two and  
  
they meant nothing to her. Technically she was a  
  
hundred and thirty-nine years old, but crying over  
  
that grave made her feel like she was a little girl  
  
again.  
  
Between her despair, Misao remembered another grave.  
  
She had seen all of them, except THAT one. Misao  
  
raised to her feet and looked around her. Saitoh had  
  
handed her an envelope when she had got out the car,  
  
with the location of all of them, but where was  
  
Aoshi's? He wasn't there, she could see in the  
  
document he wasn't. Where else could he be? The image  
  
of a clearing with four graves came to her mind.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Flashback  
  
His big back was turned to her as he continued walking  
  
in front of her. Misao could only follow, straining  
  
her legs to go on. His trenchcoat seemed to fly around  
  
him, surrounding him. His face was set in a cold  
  
manner, as if what they were doing wasn't very  
  
important to him. Who knew, maybe it wasn't!  
  
Misao moved branches aside and followed. And followed.  
  
And followed.  
  
"Aoshi-sama, is it very far away yet?" She didn't want  
  
to look like a little girl that couldn't stand a day  
  
of walking, but they had left the Aoiya yesterday and  
  
today they were meant to be in a special clearing.  
  
They hadn't stopped walking, since that morning, when  
  
she had slept for four hours. And the sun was setting  
  
already! She wasn't used to walking that much anymore.  
  
"No."  
  
Misao could very well feel happy, but he had said that  
  
an hour ago. Well, she couldn't exactly complain,  
  
since it was because of her request that they were  
  
where they were. She had finally managed to summon the  
  
guts to ask him to tell her where their friends were  
  
buried. He had simply said 'We leave tomorrow'. And  
  
they had!  
  
But she wasn't in that much of a rush. She wouldn't  
  
mind if they took three or four days to get there, she  
  
would rather have it that way in fact. It would give  
  
her more time to be with her Aoshi-sama. But he looked  
  
anxious about that entire 'meeting'. Misao was still  
  
thinking about his strange behavior, when he raised a  
  
tree branch and steeped into a clearing. Following  
  
him, Misao found herself staring into four stones.  
  
"My friends." Was the only thing Aoshi said, falling  
  
to his knees.  
  
End of Flashback  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Misao took the document Saitoh had given her and  
  
searched for anything on Aoshi. Nothing. Not a mention  
  
of the man. She stared at the paper, deep in thought.  
  
How could have Saitoh neglected that information? If  
  
it had been any other person, Misao might think he had  
  
left that information out, out of pity. But it was  
  
Saitoh she was thinking about, and that man knew no  
  
pity, even if he had grown a bit nicer. It would be  
  
more probable if he had did that to make her think  
  
about the subject, just to torture her.  
  
Misao grabbed her cell-phone and dialed a number. The  
  
three beeps she heard seemed to go on and on, without  
  
stopping, until a rough voice spoke on the other side.  
  
"Hai?"  
  
"Saitoh. I got that paper you gave me." Misao said,  
  
looking at it.  
  
"And…?" Saitoh said, with a bored voice.  
  
"There's a grave missing. Where is he?" She said,  
  
trying to avoid Aoshi's name.  
  
"Hum… what the hell are you talking about?"  
  
"Aoshi's grave. Where is it?"  
  
"I figured you'd ask that. Look, Misao, I don't know  
  
where a grave with the name Shinomori Aoshi is. There  
  
are certain things even I don't know, as much as I  
  
hate to tell you." Saitoh said.  
  
Misao said her goodbye and hung up. Before, she would  
  
have given everything she had not to see his grave,  
  
now she couldn't stand not seeing it. She had to see  
  
it! She had to set an end to their story. Over her  
  
life she had moved as if living between chapters of a  
  
book: close one, begin another. Her story with Aoshi  
  
wasn't finished and she had lived all that time with  
  
it, carrying a weight on the back of her head that  
  
would never leave her. How could someone like him mark  
  
her so much? She still found herself comparing all her  
  
lovers and male friends with him, and they lost time  
  
and again. Without her knowing or willing, he made his  
  
way through her mind and stayed there, daring her to  
  
forget him. As if proving to her that she would never  
  
be left alone, he would always be with her. She had  
  
found, after some time, that she liked that company.  
  
She sometimes thought she would never have lived so  
  
much, if she didn't have him around. When her life got  
  
rough she found him there, with his calm and  
  
objectivity, always bringing her to a safety, never  
  
letting her drown in her sorrow. His qualities were  
  
something to achieve and his flaws were her limits. He  
  
was her North. So, in very many ways, Misao was still  
  
very much dependent on him. Even when her rage took  
  
over, he was there, telling her his story, remiding  
  
her that rage, revolt, fear and revenge led to  
  
nowhere.  
  
So, what would happen if she saw that gravestone?  
  
Would that presence disappear? Did she want it to  
  
disappear?  
  
Misao closed her coat and walked out of the graveyard.  
  
As she had predicted the weather had gotten worst,  
  
winds blowing the trees to their wishes, lifting leafs  
  
from the floor, carrying clouds of dark promises. It  
  
was going to rain sooner or later. Misao walked down  
  
the street and was crossing the road when a lightning  
  
bolt shook the sky and, after a while, thunder  
  
followed. One always after the other, sometimes side  
  
by side. Like someone she knew, always with another  
  
after him…  
  
There it was again. The powerful and beautiful  
  
lightning, casting a yellow wonder in the sky. And  
  
then… a rough and late as ever, thunder. And, after  
  
ten minutes, the large and heavy drops of water on her  
  
forehead. Rain. It was quite fitting that on that day  
  
it rained. She was surprised it hadn't rained earlier.  
  
A trip to the graveyard followed by rain. How very  
  
fitting.  
  
She saw numerous cabs driving around and could have  
  
called one of them, but she preferred to walk home.  
  
The apartment wasn't that far and she got there in no  
  
time. With her eyes and head bowed, Misao didn't see  
  
Saitoh's car parked in front of the building, until  
  
she was five meters from it. The chauffeur stood in  
  
front of it, smoking his cigarette, waiting for his  
  
boss. She entered the building and made her way to her  
  
flat, as fast as she could. Saitoh was in her living  
  
room, sitting on one of the large blue sofas, showing  
  
something to Nicolai.  
  
"I'm glad you got home, Misao. Saitoh has been showing  
  
me some photographs of the victims." Nicolai said.  
  
"Good God! You're soaking wet. Go change into  
  
something warmer or you'll catch a cold."  
  
Misao dropped her bag and moved to her room to change.  
  
Actually the last thing she wanted to see at that  
  
moment was photographs of the victims, with theirs  
  
head all cut off. Yeah! After a visit to the  
  
graveyard, nothing better! She returned, dressed in  
  
tight black pants and a loose shirt. Nicolai must've  
  
been in the bathroom, for only Saitoh was there,  
  
sipping his drink.  
  
"Well, if the type you like is like this fellow, I  
  
really don't understand why you ran around Icy for so  
  
long." Saitoh said, with a teasing smile to his face.  
  
"Shut up, asshole."  
  
"No, really. Nicolai is all attentive and caring and  
  
yadda, yadda. Aoshi was… well he wasn't exactly  
  
attentive to people, was he?"  
  
"Aoshi-sama was attentive to what he had to be." Misao  
  
said, getting sick of the conversation.  
  
"Kami! Still referring to him as Aoshi-sama. Man! You  
  
are loyal, aren't you Weasel?"  
  
Both of them heard the sound of the bathroom's door  
  
close and Nicolai's steps, so they stopped. Nicolai  
  
sat, on a couch opposite to them, and looked at one  
  
photo. Misao grabbed another. When she saw the body of  
  
a woman, that appeared a little older than her, all  
  
dried of its strength and vitality, she almost felt  
  
like vomiting. She could see some dried blood in her  
  
skin, near her neck and breasts.  
  
"Well, do you know how old that woman there was?"  
  
Saitoh asked, looking at the photo in her hand. " Four  
  
hundred and eight. She was part of a famous gang from  
  
Chile. Apparently they were called here, to do a major  
  
drug deal, and they were all killed. All of them had  
  
bullets in them, so they were killed while asleep.  
  
Most of the victims were killed like that and a large  
  
number were simple Immortals, some of them not older  
  
than you and me, Misao."  
  
Misao looked at another one, this one with two bodies,  
  
of two men, side by side, with their head next to  
  
their bodies.  
  
"Alexander and Charles Gosh, both rich boys.  
  
Apparently they were even younger than us. Came here  
  
because they received invitations to a major ball. Got  
  
killed that same night. So, the killer isn't killing  
  
randomly. He chooses his victims and draws them here,  
  
where he kills them along with his group. Why he has a  
  
preference for Japan, I don't know."  
  
"How do you know he kills in groups?" Misao asked,  
  
picking another photo.  
  
" Two of my groups got inside one of the Watchers  
  
buildings and got a disc full with information about  
  
this mass killer. The only thing they didn't get was  
  
his name and face. Only some of the things that are  
  
crucial to us! Ahous! Well, here's a copy of it all.  
  
You can read it later, now I want you to came with  
  
me." Saitoh said, handing Misao a CD.  
  
"Where are we going?" Nicolai asked.  
  
"While you were in the bathroom, I got a phone call  
  
telling me we have another victim. A man, it appears.  
  
And this one looks like he was important."  
  
Saitoh got up and opened the main door, while Misao  
  
got her coat and Nicolai his. They got into the car  
  
and gave his orders to the driver. Misao paled when  
  
she understood they were going to a place near Aoiya,  
  
or where the Aoiya should be. She trembled as the car  
  
got closer and closer, until it parked on the other  
  
side of the street from it. Saitoh got out the car, as  
  
well as Nicolai, and they waited as Misao called all  
  
her strength. By the look of the old building, no one  
  
had taken interest in that historical place – the home  
  
of the Onibanshu. The windows and doors were sealed,  
  
with wood planks, with graffiti all over the place. No  
  
one was in sight. This was a conflict that had to be  
  
kept out of the police's knowledge, so the less noise  
  
one did, the better it was. She got out the car and  
  
followed Saitoh, with dread, to the back of the Aoiya.  
  
There she found three men, one with a camera and the  
  
other two smoking. Saitoh pulled one of them to the  
  
side and began talking to him, while Misao and Nicolai  
  
were left looking at the corpse. This time, they  
  
hadn't even left the face and the Immortals were only  
  
able to find out who it was by the fingerprints.  
  
Apparently they had successfully plugged into the  
  
Watchers database and were getting information from  
  
there.  
  
"This is strange." Misao said.  
  
"What is?"  
  
"That they are able to get into the Watchers database  
  
so easily, don't you think Nicolai?"  
  
"My dear, once you find exactly what you want, these  
  
days, in ain't hard getting it." Nicolai answered.  
  
Misao sighed and walked around the corpse. She had  
  
always been frustrated with Nicolai's innocence,  
  
always believing one could do whatever he set his mind  
  
to. How sad! Saitoh came closer to them.  
  
"They say we have to leave fast, before the Watchers  
  
get here. Actually they must've seen us already, but  
  
they can't stop us from seeing this anymore. I don't  
  
like them running around our affairs, intervening  
  
where they shouldn't. Dicks."  
  
Nicolai laughed, but, when he looked at the other two,  
  
stopped. Saitoh was just looking at the corpse and  
  
Misao had walked away, trying not to puke. Saitoh  
  
pulled out his cigarette case and took out one  
  
cigarette; he still used matches to light the  
  
cigarettes. He just stood there, taking big drags from  
  
the cigarette and, once in a while, he looked at  
  
Misao, who sat in a bench near a big wall. Soon Saitoh  
  
finished his cigarette.  
  
"Lets go." Saitoh said, walking away. Misao got up and  
  
followed him.  
  
"So, now what?" She asked. "Go back home?"  
  
"Hai, you two have to read what that disc I gave you  
  
has. We talk tomorrow. Now enter the car."  
  
----------------t.b.c.  
  
  
  
I'll be waiting for some reviews or else… or else nothis, I'll post it in a while, don't worry.  
  
JA!  
  
MaRiAnA 


	4. A bit of pain, but a nice butler

Well, this is still a non-Aoshi chapter, but he'll show up pretty soon. I'd like to thank Moon, for handling my english problems and for kind remarks! Thakns also for the kind people that reviews the previous chapters, hope you like this one and I want more reviews, you hear me?  
  
  
  
Crossover between RK & Highlander  
  
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
  
Chapter 4  
  
«The protection net the Immortals have constructed has two centers – one in Kyoto and one in Tokyo. Most of the victims have been found in Kyoto, but a growing number of corpses have appeared in Tokyo too. It is very hard to establish the exact names of the Immortals in charge of the two centers, being that they are both specialists in what they do: spying and hiding their identity. Even so, they have already found a great deal of information that Watchers would have rather kept to themselves, like the large number of unidentified agents that have disrupted the chain of command and have worked against the most ancient of rules: never interfere.  
  
The Watchers have made it their priority to search for the names of those in higher ranks among the Immortal net. Unfortunately, with the works of some of us, they have grown unhappy with our presence and may even work against us. This being the case, the Watchers will, in the future, have to work hard in order to keep record of every Immortal.»  
  
Misao closed the document she had been reading in the past hour. The disc Saitoh had given her contained thousands of pages full with information that covered the names of the Watcher working on this case and most of the names of the Immortals too. Misao had found an awful lot about the group of killers. More than she wished. It was a group of six people and their master. Apparently the Master was very old and the others were from the last century. The Watchers thought he found it easier to work with youngsters, who were more manageable and harsh headed. All the group's victims were either old or had experienced a numerous amount of awakenings. Awakening was what happened when an Immortal killed another one and received all of the dead one's experience, memories and strength. The more awakenings one had, the stronger one gets. Usually, the older are the stronger. Basically, they were after strength, but for what? Power? Over what?  
  
The computer screen glowed in the room's darkness. Misao looked at her watch. Three a.m.. Nicolai had gone to bed hours before, while Misao read all of the disc's information and collected the important stuff. When she was getting ready to turn the computer off, Misao remembered something. She knew who was the man in charge in Kyoto, but who was the one in Tokyo? Misao looked to her side and saw the phone lying there. Well, the worst she could do was wake Saitoh up.  
  
"Yes?" A very pissed off Saitoh asked on the other end of the line. Misao could listen to some moaning in the back and a voice asking who was it. Apparently Saitoh had been playing with someone. Misao smiled at that.  
  
"I'm sorry, Saitoh, did I interrupted something?" She said, with a very innocent voice.  
  
"Yes, you fucking did!" He barked.  
  
"Hum… yes, it appears the fucking part is essential, doesn't it?" Misao teased. "I just need some information and I'll let you go back to your pumping." Misao could hear the female in the back, still moaning and screaming, while Saitoh snarled at her.  
  
"Then ask quickly, I've got better things to do then talk to weasels at three a.m.."  
  
"Who is the commander in Tokyo?"  
  
"Nani? You interrupted me to ask that crap? You have got to be kidding!" Saitoh yelled. "Look, I don't know his name, we communicate, but we don't have dinner together, okay? Now, bye."  
  
Saitoh slammed the phone and Misao got stuck hearing the bip… bip…  
  
"Jerk."  
  
She hung up the phone and turned back to the computer, where it was now flashing a sign. «You've got mail!» Misao opened the window to see it. Who could it be? No one knew she was staying in that house, besides Saitoh and Nicolai. One was having sex and the other was sleeping. Who could know her online address?  
  
«Misao,  
  
It has come to my attention that you are back in Japan. I find that very interesting, since I know you'd rather kill yourself than come back here. So, why did you? I believe you are staying in Kyoto. Have you visited the Aoiya or even your friends' graves? I would love to see your face. It is a pleasure I haven't been granted for a long time, Misao.  
  
You must excuse my secrecy, but I cannot give you my name. I'm sure you'll find out when the time comes.  
  
Ja!»  
  
Misao looked at the top of the screen and an address with numbers and some letters appeared. Whoever had sent that message wanted a reply. Misao clicked on the button and started writing.  
  
«Mr. Incognito,  
  
I would appreciate if you'd give yourself a name. Apparently you know me pretty well, but I don't have a clue as to who you are. I'm indeed in Japan. How did you know that? And how do you know about my dislike of Japan?  
  
Please reply.  
  
Misao.»  
  
Misao clicked on the «Send» button and waited for a reply. The cursor just stood there, the screen glowing it's light into the room, as Misao waited for the reply. And, after five minutes, she got one.  
  
«Misao,  
  
I've told you. I cannot say my name. As for your dislike of Japan, I had no idea. I just knew you'd do anything so you wouldn't have to come back here. But I really don't believe you hate Japan. It's such a beautiful country!  
  
Yes, I'm proud to say I know you pretty well.  
  
Don't bother replying, I'll close this mailbox after I send this message. So, see you.»  
  
"What the…?"  
  
Misao sat on her chair for ten minutes, just staring at that screen. It made no sense to her that she now had a man she didn't know sending her e- mails. How did he get that address? Misao tried to remember someone she knew that would act like that. He had said he knew her, didn't he? After some thought, Misao only came up with two men – Timon and Diego. Those two were pains in the neck, even if she hadn't seen them for ages. She had, against all she ever thought possible, grown an immense hate for those two. Could it be that those two were still in Japan, killing innocent people so they could kill them afterwards. Misao had already discovered what they had meant by 'lamb'. By killing Immortals, they got stronger. But if they killed young Immortals that didn't understand what was happening, it would be a lot easier, even if they weren't so strong as older Immortals.  
  
She turned the computer off and was leaving the room, when a figure appeared in the darkness and, with it, that mixture of feelings and a sudden dizziness. Misao slowly raised her hand to the hilt of her sword, which was always close by. She felt her fingertips touch the cold surface, when the figure suddenly moved behind her and pushed the sword away. Misao jumped back, in surprise.  
  
"Who are you?" Misao asked, in a whisper. But the figure made no sound and continued trying to catch her, while Misao kept walking around the room, escaping him. He was tall, very tall and thin. But not the sick slim, more of a muscular slim. The figure imposed respect and a sense of dread, at the same time. He was wearing a thight black suit, that showed his muscles well. "What are you doing?"  
  
He jumped over one sofa and tried to catch her, but Misao ran again. She looked at the sofa, but he wasn't there anymore. She was just about to turn around, searching for him, when he jumped on top of her and stabbed her in the middle of the chest. Misao felt a horrible pain in the middle of her being and suddenly her dinner came right back to her mouth, along with her blood. She still tried to fight him, while she still had the strength, but his strong arms just held her close and one of his hands was in her mouth, preventing her from screaming for help. Then Misao completely lost her sense and her eyes closed. She was dead.  
  
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
  
"…I told you, I don't know. Now, will you please leave me alone?" A rough voice whispered. "The lady should be awake in seconds and I don't want her to see your red face here."  
  
"Why you…!" Misao heard some heavy steps leave the room and a sigh close to her bed. Misao tried her best not to show she was already awake and opened her eyes a bit. She closed them right back, when a shiny and white light shone right into them. She opened them slowly again and observed the room she was staying in. She was laying in a large bed, dressed in a silk nightgown, with pearl silk sheets. The bed was placed in the middle of the room, with two bedside tables, with lamps over them, a large red carpet spread on the floor, an old, wood closet, a large table, where a breakfast was placed for her with the paper, and behind the table, a huge window.  
  
"Good morning, Madam." Said a voice from behind her. Misao turned around and saw a little man, dressed in black and white, smiling at her, with an austere look. "I took the liberty of selecting a small number of delicacies for your breakfast."  
  
"Who are you?" Misao said. When she had first awaken, during the night, she had been surprised she was still alive. She had expected that coward to kill her when she had been out. But after delight, came doubt. Why the hell had she been brought here? And where was here exactly?  
  
"Oh. Please excuse my rudeness. I am Katsushiro Shirai and I'll be your butler for as long as the Madam remains here." He said, with a clever look in his eyes.  
  
"Right. And where exactly is here?" Misao asked, siting in the bed. Only then did she saw the nightgown she was wearing. It was the skinniest thing she had ever set eyes on, with straps… well, she could say she was wearing a negligée. She pulled the sheets over her and looked at Shirai.  
  
"I've got instructions not to let you know that, madam. I'm sorry."  
  
Instructions? But from whom and why couldn't she know where she was? Misao got out of bed and ran to the window, searching for something familiar that would tell her where she was. But she found nothing, she just saw a large wooded area. The house was huge, for she could see how far it ran along and Misao saw the other side of the house through her window.  
  
"And who gave you those orders, Shirai-san?"  
  
"I'm sorry, madam, but I'm not allowed to reveal that information either." Shirai said, walking closer to the table behind her. "Will the madam eat breakfast or does the madam prefer something else?"  
  
Misao turned away from the window and looked at the table. It had a large number of foods and drinks. Misao pulled a chair and sat. Shirai served her coffee, some orange juice and fetched her paper. Misao looked at the date, to see if she had been out for to many time. But it was the day she expected, the day after… the second of November. Misao sighed. Now she had only to concern herself with how she was going to escape that room.  
  
"Am I allowed to leave the room, Shirai-san?"  
  
"Yes, madam. A servant girl has been arranged to accompany the madam wherever she wishes to go."  
  
So, she could leave the room, but had to have someone looking over her shoulder, watching. Misao wondered who was that man that gave everyone here orders, and if it was the same man that had attacked her the night before. She reached for a piece of toast and put some jam on it. It was peach jam, her favorite.  
  
"Is everything to the madam's liking? Master gave specific orders to arrange everything to the madam's taste."  
  
"Yes, everything is alright. Could you arrange me some clothes, Shirai-san? I would like to walk a little." Misao asked, looking over the paper. Shirai bowed and left the room for a while. Misao raised from the table and ran to the window, trying its lock. But it didn't open. Misao looked again out the window and saw a young man dragging a big, black horse to the stables. When Misao's eyes fell on the stables, she saw a large number of people working over there, all of them running around to their business. Shirai returned with a maid.  
  
" Madam, I've brought you Seiko. She will help you dress. I guess the madam will find, in the closet, a number of clothes to your liking." Shirai bowed again and left the room, closing the door behind him. Misao smiled at Seiko, already planning on dragging all the information she could out of that young girl. Seiko opened the wood closet and turned to Misao.  
  
"What would the madam prefer? A dress?" Seiko asked, with a tiny voice that trembled. It was obvious she hadn't been doing this service for a long time and was deadly afraid she would screw up something. Misao took pity for the girl and came closer to her.  
  
"No, Seiko. I don't really like dresses. I've always been a bit of a tomboy. I always preferred pants or shorts." Misao said, trying to talk with as much calm and gentleness she could. "Look, I think I'll dress in that shirt… I've always loved blue. And you can chose the pants."  
  
Seiko seemed to calm down a bit and, while Misao washed herself in the bathroom, she picked up a pair of gray pants that went wonderfully with the blue shirt. Misao dressed and put a pair of boots on. Seiko then made sure Misao's hair was brushed and patiently brushed it and placed it in a complicate hairdo.  
  
"So, Seiko, how long have you been here?" Misao asked, nonchalantly.  
  
"Oh, I don't know very well! Two or three months, I think."  
  
"Do you like it here?" Misao asked, looking at the girl reflected in her mirror.  
  
"Yes, yes I do. No one treats me bad here, just with respect and dignity. Shirai-san makes sure everyone is treated well, under the Master's orders. The place I served before was a house full of sick men, that walked around, stalking the servant girls all day. Some of them even got raped, can you believe that?"  
  
"Then let rejoice you're here instead of there." Misao said, calmly. "And your Master? Is he kind to you all?"  
  
"Oh! We rarely see him, for he never stops home. I myself have seen him one time, since I've been here." Seiko said, distracted with her work with Misao's hair.  
  
"And how is he, Seiko?" Misao asked, trying her best not to scare the girl.  
  
"Oh, madam. I'm sure I've never seen such a beautiful man!" Seiko heatedly answered, still brushing her hair. "He has the two most beautiful eyes I've seen on a Japanese man. I served him dinner that day he came. He doesn't talk much though. Can you believe he barely said two words in a row the entire dinner? And he had two guests!"  
  
"I see." Misao considered asking her some more questions, but she might suspect something and she didn't appear to know much more about her Master. So, Misao choose to be silent, while Seiko finished her hairdo. When she finished, Misao turned her head and tried seeing how it was.  
  
"The madam has a beautiful hair. I wish I could have mine like that." She said, dreamily. Misao smiled at her and raised from her seat. When Misao walked to the door, Seiko ran closer to her. "I'll be joining the madam. Shirai-san ordered me to."  
  
Misao nodded and opened the door.  
  
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
  
"What do you mean, she is not with you?" Nicolai asked, with a tense voice over the telephone.  
  
"Look, partner, I'm not her nanny. I don't know what she got herself into, okay?" Saitoh harshly answered.  
  
"Saitoh, I just looked at the floor and there's a bloodstain on it. And… yes, it's still wet." Nicolai said, with a trembling voice.  
  
"Were you attacked yesterday?" Saitoh asked, with interest in his voice.  
  
"No, I went to bed early. I was planning on reading that disc you gave us today, but Misao stayed up."  
  
"I know, she called me at around three a.m.." Saitoh said, remembering what he had been doing. "So, you didn't hear a thing?"  
  
"No, not a thing. Look I don't like how this is turning up." Nicolai said. "I was the one that got her into this mess, so if something happenes to her, I'll be really pissed."  
  
Saitoh rolled his eyes and smirked. He hadn't like the man since he had meet him a few months ago. He had to contact him in order to get a hold of Misao, but he had never liked the look of the nice, non-violent guy attitudehe put on.  
  
"Look, maybe she went for a walk or something. I didn't exactly run the house before you were here, so maybe that bloodstain was there before."  
  
"But it's still wet!"  
  
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
  
Misao looked to her right. No one. Then to her left. Still no one. Misao took two steps forward and, silently, walked all the way to the end of the hall. Seiko had given her a view of the house, but had prohibited her to enter the last room on the hall. Maybe that was the Master's room.  
  
Misao looked behind her, when she touched the doorknob. No one. Slowly, the door was opened and a dark room came into focus. Misao could only see some shadows and the outlines of some of the furniture. She walked in and closed the door behind her. She could see well enough in the dark, but it was way too dark inside the room. Misao walked to her left. BAM. She had knocked a vase down.  
  
"Shit." Misao muttered.  
  
"That's lack of practice, Misao." Misao felt a sudden rush of feelings and the familiar dizziness.  
  
"Ah! Fuck!" Misao turned around, to face who ever had spoken to her. She saw a tall shadow. Just like the one the night before. She backed away a bit. "You're the motherfucker, who killed me yesterday, aren't you?" She saw the figure bend his head and look curiously at her. "What?" Misao asked, after some time. "Who are you anyway?"  
  
"It's good to see you again, Misao." He said.  
  
"We know each other?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Misao walked closer to what seemed like a bed and moved to turn on the lamp. The figure didn't move. Misao struggled a little with the button, but then a yellow light covered the room. Then she turned. And, even though she didn't often, Misao fainted.  
  
  
  
Ah! Ah! Ah! You'll have to wait a bit to find out. Well, who do you think killed Misao-chan? Well, you think about it, while I think when should I post the next chapter. Bye,  
  
MaRiAnA 


	5. A rough wake up call

1 Well, I didn't think it was such a chalenge to figure out who killed her, but a little cliffhanger isn't bad once in a while. The next couple of chapters will be entirelly Aoshi/Misao bonding. So, we'll have tons of fuzzy and lovey scenes.  
  
Once again, I'd like to thank Moon for correcting my grammar and commenting. Thaks!!!!!!  
  
2 RK & Highlander Crossover  
  
Chapter 5  
  
"Hey! Sleepy head."  
  
What was happening? Misao could swear she had seen him, but that was impossible. Wasn't it? Of course it was! He had been dead for years now and what she had seen had been purely her imagination playing tricks on her.  
  
But he looked so real! His traces were so strong in that picture, that she doubted very much she could ever make up something like that.  
  
"Misao, open your eyes. I know you're awake."  
  
She would open her eyes and she would be in her apartment in Paris. She would be in her huge bed, with the warm French sun in her face. She would have never seen Nicolai in Prague, she would have never seen Saitoh again and, most certainly, she would have not seen Shinomori Aoshi. So, Misao opened her eyes.  
  
But she didn't see her ceiling, the one she had designed especially for her. No, she saw a wood and velvet ceiling. That wasn't, for starters, her room. Not in Paris, not in Kyoto and not in that place where she didn't know where she was. This was a new room. There was a lot of light shining inside the room and Misao could hear steps on the floor.  
  
"Finally!"  
  
Misao slowly turned her head right. How does one describe something like what was happening to Misao? She was, all of a sudden, realizing that what she most firmly believed was a lie. Aoshi-sama… was… not… dead…  
  
"You look like you've seen a ghost." He said, trying to ease the tension in the room.  
  
- - - - - -- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - -  
  
Saitoh took a drag from his cigarette. That was his last one. He had to go out and buy a new pack. Saitoh looked anxiously at the phone. He was expecting a very important phone call, so he couldn't leave home right now. Saitoh looked around, trying to find someone who would go buy him his pack. Might as well forget it! Since he was an Immortal bachelor, he lived all alone with only a cleaning lady (that came in the mornings) and the occasional lovers.  
  
So he was all alone. Waiting for an important call. With no cigarettes… He was feeling the need for another already.  
  
"Got to get rid of this habit." He said, putting the cigarette out.  
  
Since Misao had disappeared, he had received three phone calls from Nicolai, and Saitoh was starting to feel bothered with the man. Sure, he had lied to him! He knew perfectly well where Misao was, but he wouldn't tell him even if he was paid. A plan that had went on for months couldn't be ruined because of one scared little man, who thought he owned the girl. Saitoh had sworn he would keep it a secret, even if he didn't agreed with the methods.  
  
"Misao's going to have the surprise of her life."  
  
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
  
"You're not very talkative today, are you?" He asked. "I've been informed that you didn't stop asking questions to the servants about me. Well… here I am."  
  
He knew that this was going to happen. He couldn't expect her to simply accept that he had been alive all that time and hadn't contacted her. She was looking at him, as if to make sure he was not an illusion. Her eyes were still the same, that beautiful blue. Well, they were not exactly the same. They seemed more lived… In a way, they had to be. Even if an Immortal didn't maintain his physical aspect, the eyes were still the doors for one's soul. Well, at least hers were.  
  
"Misao, aren't you going to welcome me back?"  
  
She moved then. She rose from his bed and walked to him in unsure steps. She poked his chest with a finger, trying to figure out what was happening.  
  
"Wow!" Was the only thing she said, then she sat down again on his bed. Aoshi couldn't stop himself from looking at her. Sure, she was just as he had seen her last, but he had found out along time ago that he had missed her terribly; The sight of her was a sight for sore eyes. Her hair was not as long as it used to be, but he found himself liking the change. From the photos of her that Saitoh had got for him, he knew she used to have very short hair. He had his computer full of documents about her: he knew about her life with Adrien, of her work for the English government, of her life as a painter in France, etc… He knew she had fought a lot to live without trying to kill anyone, but an Immortal's life was one constant fight. Sometimes, the game didn't allow the two to walk away with life. He knew of the ones she had been forced to kill and the paths she had chosen in her life.  
  
"I was just like that when I found out I was an Immortal." Aoshi said, sitting by her side. "You don't even want to know how I was when I saw a photo of you in the beginning of the 20th century!"  
  
Misao covered her face with her hands and took a deep breath.  
  
"Of course." She said.  
  
"What?" Aoshi asked.  
  
"I should have remembered. I felt you, the day I was made Immortal. God! How could I forget?" Misao leaned back and looked at the ceiling.  
  
"You felt me? Well, I had already understood that you were made Immortal before me, because I never felt you. I was killed a month after you were gone. To China, I've been told." He said, looking at her. "I'm sorry I never told you."  
  
"Why didn't you?" Aoshi could see by her voice that she was still very much shocked. He laid back next to her and stared at the ceiling too.  
  
"Never managed to summon the guts, I guess." He answered with a small voice. "I've been here all this time, working for different bosses and, lately, I've been working with Saitoh on this Immortal group of killers' case. One month ago he told me he was going to contact you, and said that he needed you in Kyoto, so I made up my mind. I couldn't exactly work with you and not tell you, could I?"  
  
He sighed when she didn't answer, but then he felt her move, turning to see his face. He felt her hand caressing his arm softly. He had prepared himself for a slap in the face or anything worst, but she was just too shocked. And now she was touching him. Aoshi had spent all the last years reliving his moments with her, since her birth: her little pranks as a little girl, her hope as a young woman and her love, to that day when he had, with some words, made her move away from him. Until he saw her photo, in England, he had always blamed himself for her leaving. Well, he had to admit he still blamed himself. He could very well imagine her pain when she left all her family and friends behind.  
  
"Why did you kill me yesterday?" She asked, moving her warm hand away from his arm.  
  
"I'm sorry. I know it hurt, but I had to get you out of that place fast and I knew that if I came and got you in any other way you wouldn't have come. You would probably stare at me and then that… guy that lives with you would come and we would still be there."  
  
"So you thought it would be quicker if you killed me?!" Misao asked, with a look of disbelief on her face. "That was stupid and thoughtless! And why the hell did you needed to get me out of there?"  
  
  
  
- - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - -  
  
  
  
The room wasn't all that big, but it was very cozy, with all the things Aoshi needed to make it his favorite. He came there every night to see all her photos and small videos he had got over the years. After some time he had faced the fact that he had become a stalker. He would stare at photos of her taken clandestinely for hours, marveling at her smile, eyes, everything about her.  
  
He had known she had arrived safely to Kyoto, but had been very undecided about what to do about her. Saitoh had told him she was the same, but, at the same time, completely different from what she had been. 'Well, you knew her better, you'll tell me later, won't you?' The man had said. He longed for her! Frankly, he didn't know if it was because he needed something familiar to be with, after all those years and the ones to come, or if his metabolism had simply found it was impossible to breath, eat, walk and talk without her.  
  
Then he had received the invitation. Shirai, his trusted butler, had brought his mail over the usual silver platter. Between eight common letters rested a large envelope addressed to him, with an intricate letter. Aoshi, after opening it, had found a very formal invitation for a party. But not any party, no! Aoshi, as being a "young" bachelor that, he had found, the ladies adored, was very often invited to parties. But this was a special party. For starters, it seemed like the hosts called it "The Immortal Party" and, apparently, it was for Immortals only. Aoshi had been alarmed that people knew what he was. Could it be that one of his Immortal friends had shared that information with another Immortal? He had asked Saitoh about the hosts, Kurisumi and Heiji, but he had very little to report about the couple. Apparently they were husband and wife for three centuries and had just returned to Tokyo. Considering that the news about the late Immortal slaughtering wasn't exactly broadcasted all over the country, they most probably didn't know and that party was a great excuse for some more slaughtering.  
  
Then Saitoh had suggested that he take Misao with him, since they need trusty people working in the party and they both didn't know anyone more trust worthy than Misao. The party was to take place in a huge mansion outside Tokyo, on the sixth of November. So he had to decide and move fast if he wanted to take Misao.  
  
He had asked Saitoh for Misao's address and had parked his car outside her building, waiting. He had seen her get home in the rain, with her head bowed and, after a while, had seen her leave with Saitoh and that other one, Nicolai. According to Saitoh, the man was a puss. He had entered his country's army when the war had broke lose, but had gone instantly to an office job and had never set foot on the field. Saitoh had only brought him along because he needed someone to convince Misao and, to Aoshi extreme dislike as well as Saitoh's, he was the one capable.  
  
They had returned and Saitoh had signaled him to move, then drove off. Aoshi, after some minutes, entered the building and called the elevator. While it took him to her floor, Aoshi could feel his heart beating wildly and his breathing wasn't even. His hands were sweaty, for God's sake!  
  
Saitoh had given him the flat's keys, so when the elevator's doors opened, he took them out. He walked to her door and tried to listen. He heard a man's voice, so maybe it was too early to enter. He stayed there against the door for a long time, until the silence filled his brain and calmed his fears. He made the least amount of noise he could and entered. The room was dark, but he could see, thanks to the light coming from the window that he was in a living room. The first thing he felt was her smell, not the sensation he got when another was around. But, as soon as he was in the corridor looking inside a room where a light came, that sensation came eventually. She was turning the computer off and he could see by her rigid back that she had felt him too. He saw the glint of a sword shine against the night's light, and she tried to reach it. Without thinking what was his plan, Aoshi pushed the sword away and tried to catch her. He heard her ask him something, but he only caught the sound of her voice and not the words. They were running around like cat and mouse, but Aoshi had already decided who was going to win. She had gotten quick over the years and her body language didn't give her away like it used to, but it showed self-confidence.  
  
He felt himself take out his small kodashi and lunge at her. She managed to escape him once, but he saw her look around and knew she had lost him. He grabbed her from behind and, trying hard not to think what he was doing, stabbed her in the chest and covered her mouth. He felt her fight a bit and even throw up. Then she died. He caught her before she hit the floor and moved to the corridor. His heart told him to look at her, but he had to get out of there before the other one felt him. Aoshi opened the front door and got to the elevator. While the elevator didn't come, he hid the blood stain in Misao's chest and prayed nobody was in the elevator. The doors opened and Aoshi got in. Empty.  
  
Outside the building he opened his car and, even knowing he should place Misao in the trunk in case the cops stopped him, he placed her in the sit by his side. He turned the car on and rode off, until he got to his house outside Tokyo.  
  
  
  
- - - - - - - - - - - -  
  
  
  
"So, you're Saitoh's partner in all this?" Misao asked, while they ate dinner.  
  
"I control the operations in Tokyo, yes." Aoshi answered. "I found it was… easier to work outside Kyoto."  
  
Misao nodded. He could see her head hurt with all the information she received in the last hours. She had barely eaten, even if it was one of her favorites, and she kept looking at him.  
  
"I still can't believe you're alive! I don't know if I should be pissed off or pleased." She admitted.  
  
"Both, I hoped." Aoshi answered, dismissing the two waiters that were serving them. Aoshi could also feel Misao's curiosity towards his employees. "The truth is, Misao, I missed you."  
  
"You don't say…" Misao answered, sarcastically. He knew that wasn't the right thing to say to the new Misao… no, the wrong thing to say to her after breaking her heart. She was not a toy he could play with and he had to find a way to know this new her and to get close to her.  
  
"Will you go with me to that party, Misao?" He asked, having decided that talking business was safest. "I need someone that I trust."  
  
"It's in four days, right?" Aoshi nodded. "Well, you get me a dress I like and that fits and I'll go."  
  
"Arigatou, Misao." Aoshi said, letting a small smile cover his lips. "I'll find you the most beautiful dress you have ever seen."  
  
"I wouldn't be so certain, I've worn the most beautiful dresses the courts of France, Germany and the English government have seen." Misao said, remembering Adrien.  
  
"I know." Watching her arched brow, he went on. "I also have access to the Watchers main frame and you're there too. And the portraits you have made."  
  
"Speaking of which, don't you think that our access to their main frame is too easy?" Misao asked, remembering her talk to Nicolai. Aoshi smiled.  
  
"Of course it is. They're setting a trap for us. It's up to us to fall in it or not. They let us know what they want us to know. Fortunately, modesty aside, Saitoh and I are the best at what we do and we've been able to save all of us from their grasp." He said, taking a sip from his wine. "You see, we're fighting amongst our own and the outsiders. We have to be very careful who we trust. Many friends I knew a long time ago are dead and I don't intend letting it go on, with a war amongst us and with a strict group of the Watchers."  
  
"What about the rest of the Watchers? What do they think of all this?" Misao asked.  
  
"Most of them are good people. Unfortunately, we don't know the good ones from the bad, aside from two or three we trust our lives with." Aoshi said. "And the big problem for them is that they know as much as we do. They don't know who to trust! That group has closed itself and no one gets inside."  
  
Some minutes passed without a word being said. Misao looked at the ceiling and sighed. It was a huge house!  
  
"How did you get this house?" She asked.  
  
"Probably the same way you got yours in Paris and the other one in England. Like everyone does: I bought it." He answered, taking another sip from his wine and cleaning his lips with his napkin.  
  
"You seem to know all my life, but I know very little of yours." Misao said, raising from her chair across the table and moving to one near his. "Tell me about it. I want to hear all of it and since I don't know if you've became this talkative or if this is just tonight, I have to grab the chance, don't I?" Aoshi smiled. "You're even smiling now!"  
  
"You know, I'd forgotten what it was like, living with you. We'll never have a hole in our conversation as long as you're here." He sighed. "This will take some time."  
  
"That's alright. After all, we have eternity."  
  
  
  
  
  
The next chapter will be Aoshi's story and a bit of Misao's, so nothing much will happen. Thanks for reading and, don't forget, review!  
  
JA!  
  
MaRiAnA 


	6. What did I do? Oh well, nothing much

1 2001 – Misao – 139  
  
2 2001 – Aoshi – 149  
  
3  
  
4 Crossover between RK & Highlander  
  
- - - - - - - - - - -  
  
The lights weren't helping. Misao could see when she had had too much wine and that was it; she was feeling woozy and those lights weren't helping her eyesight. As if he had read her mind, Aoshi sent for one servant to turn off some of the lights. That was better.  
  
"Are you sure you want to hear it now?" Aoshi asked, a little concerned. "You look like you're better off in bed."  
  
"No, the effect will disappear in no time."  
  
Aoshi nodded and looked ahead, as if he didn't have anything to tell. He looked a little nervous, considering what he should tell and what he should omit.  
  
"As I've told you, I was killed a month after you left. I spent that last month like I had spent all the other ones: meditating. Except that since you had left, the Aoiya was upside down, and I went even more to the Temple." He started, refilling his empty glass. "Nobody knew what had happened to you and they were all very worried, you know?"  
  
"I imagined it, yes."  
  
"Well, two weeks after you had left a police officer of the higher ranks visited me in the Temple. It appears Saitoh was out of town and had received an urgent message about a large cargo of drugs in Kyoto. Since he wasn't able to get back there in time, he had ordered one of his men to send for me. A large ship, coming from Belgium, was to stop in Kyoto's port. Saitoh placed at my disposal fifty of his men and asked me to led them." Aoshi sighed. "I accepted. The ship got there two weeks later, at night. I was there with fifty men. As soon as the ship's ropes were on the quay, everything just burst into action. Apparently some of the sailors onboard had seen some police officers and they shot at us. I think that no one was killed in that first round, but it caught us off-guard. The officers responded with bullets and I led some of them onboard. I fought with some sailors, but at some point someone shot me in the back. I saw the bullet come out right here." Aoshi said, pointing at his heart. "That was it! I died and only came back six or seven hours later, when four police officers were dragging my body out of the ship. It gave them quite a scare! Well, they swore they had checked my pulse and had declared me officially dead. Of course I didn't believe them, I thought I had been hit, but nothing deadly. Until, of course, I got home, took my shirt off and… no wound! No scar! Nothing. In my own way, I freaked out."  
  
Misao raised her eyebrows, because she knew that Aoshi freaking out was exteriorized as a frown. Aoshi must have figured out what she was thinking, for he smiled.  
  
"Well, I started hyperventilating. Is that freaking out for you?"  
  
"Wow! I didn't hyperventilate. Well, I was too worried at how to get out of the trouble I was in."  
  
"So, I had no idea what happened. Saitoh got back in the meantime and paid me a visit. I hadn't left the Temple and when I entered I had a rush of sensations and feelings, like we do when another Immortal comes close. He sat across me, with a weird smile on his face. 'I heard you died and came back, Shinomori' he said. As expected, I didn't reply. That was when he told me what he was. You know, he has been an Immortal since the fight with Shishio. He told me I wouldn't die, as long as I took care of my neck." Aoshi chuckled. "He then asked me about you. He must have known you were one too, I don't know.  
  
»I continued living in the Aoiya for many years. I don't know, maybe ten or fifteen. But, of course, the fact was that I didn't have one white hair or a wrinkle showing, and everybody started looking at me. I guess they thought I had made a deal with the devil or something. But then, Okina died. He had been very ill the last months, after catching an pneumonia and it had only gotten worse. He died on a rainy day with all the Aoiya around him, calling for you." Misao dropped her eyes to the floor. "Don't ever blame yourself, Misao. I think that, in a way, Jiya knew that something had happened and that you had to go. He never blamed you for anything."  
  
"I miss him, Aoshi." Misao said in a small voice.e"I miss his laughter, his benevolence… I miss him so much!" Aoshi placed a hand over one of hers and caressed it.  
  
"I know you do. I miss him too." He said, trying to comfort her. "Well, after that, Okon married, Shiro out of the blue confessed his feelings for Omasu and they married too. Kuro meet a nice little lady, that turned out to be the heir of a great sum of money, and married. So, at the age of forty-five, Shinomori Aoshi showed no signs of age and had no reason to stay in Kyoto. We were in the year 1897, and the world was a whole new universe for me. So I packed my bags and went to China for some time, like you. There I searched everything I could about the Immortals and met some Watchers. One of them was a particularly good friend."  
  
"A woman?" Misao asked, feeling the old jealousy coming back. Aoshi smiled as if he had understood her.  
  
"No, not a woman. But I did get my sum of them. I traveled by train until I reached Russia, Saint Petersburg more precisely. The cream of the society couldn't be more in love with the Japanese young man."  
  
"Especially the women, I bet." Misao said, this time with a smile.  
  
"Yes. I heard some conversations between them where they got to the extreme of betting who got me first in their bed. Don't laugh!" Aoshi said, seeing Misao's giggles.  
  
"I'm loving your story, Aoshi. Go on."  
  
"Well, I had a small thing with a duchess, but it was nothing of consequence. I had kept in touch with Saitoh, always asking what was happening in Japan, and that was when I received a letter from him with a certain photo. It was one of those ones, where the background was all white and you were wearing a blue dress with an umbrella, and you had your hair shoulder-length. It was quite embarrassing, actually. I was in the duchess' room when I received the photo and she got all bitchy because of the picture. I guess she thought you were another lover or something."  
  
"How possessive!" Misao said, inwardly smiling about the thought of making Aoshi's woman jealous.  
  
"Yes, that's what I thought. I don't know why, but I packed up and went back to Japan. I worked with Saitoh for the government for awhile and then since that, I've been jumping from mission to mission. During the Second World War, I managed to escape going to war. I despised that war and refused being involved in it. And then, I worked for a while trying to rebuild Hiroshima. I managed to get filthy rich, as you see, and I bought this house, as well as another one in the center of Tokyo and another in Russia. And that pretty much brings us up to today." He said, rising from the table and leading her to another room where a cozy fire burned. Misao followed. Her head felt much better, and the fire made her feel good, even though Aoshi sat very close to her on the sofa.  
  
"Hum… yes. You mean, that's what you're willing to tell me, since I don't believe that was your life story year by year. I don't believe you've lived 119 years with only one mistress." Misao said, with a saucy grin.  
  
"You keep returning to that subject, Misao. I assure you that I won't die of abstinence." Aoshi said smiling. Misao laughed.  
  
"Yes, I bet you won't." Aoshi looked at her, seriously. "What?"  
  
"What about you? How did you managed with lovers in these last 119 years?" Aoshi knew very well who her lovers had been, from the most casual fling to the bigger affair. Misao stopped smiling and looked at the fireside. She, in between the First and the Second World War, had made herself the perfect lover. She had moved to Paris and, due to her lack of money, had lived in the red light district. The thought of selling herself would have never crossed her head, but she made friend with lots of prostitutes and had lots of lovers during that time. Her discontentment in life had passed to her need for love, and one man never seemed enough. Some of those men were Immortals, who today were her best friends. But she couldn't even remember all of them! Some of them had been one-night stands, that she didn't even remember the day after. She couldn't get pregnant and she couldn't get diseases, so her sex life was a total chaos.  
  
Some of those men were simple pills for her spirit. One of those one- night stands, the day after, had told her she had called him Aoshi the whole night. 'Not that I cared very much', he added. She had never been more… embarrassed? No, it was something else – mortified. She had always pushed Aoshi out of her love/sex life and with those few words he had been tossed into that turmoil. The simple fact of her thinking she had been having sex with Aoshi was… hurtful.  
  
That time, she had lived as a painter. There were actually some rich folks who bought her paintings. Some of them reflected her rage, her despair, but they had also hope and love. She lived like a true bohemian!  
  
She kept looking at the fireside and then she saw Aoshi's finger pointing at something above it. When she looked up, Misao saw pinned to the wall one of her paintings. She had painted so many she didn't even remember many of them! Most of the times she painted drunk or very late in the night. But she remembered that one. That one she had painted when one of her prostitute friends had died. She had just returned from her burial and the inspiration for it just came. It was quite a dark painting, but she imagined Aoshi liking it.  
  
"How did you get it?" She asked, in wonder.  
  
"Oh! A friend of mine from Russia liked your work and wrote to me about it. He said I would love to see your paintings; he said they had Aoshi written all over it." Aoshi smiled, then rosed from the sofa to have a better look at the painting. "I managed to grab hold of this one. It was quite expensive, you know? When I looked at it the first time I searched for you there, but over the years, I found that people find in art what they hope. I found you." Aoshi said, turning to look at her.  
  
Misao didn't have an answer, but she wasn't sure she wanted to answer. She didn't remember ever seeing Aoshi this open and, to be quite frank, he said some things that looked like he was hitting on her. But that was impossible, wasn't it? Aoshi had long ago told her he didn't partake of her feelings and why would he change? Just because he hadn't seen her in a long time?  
  
Aoshi sat again on the sofa and looked at her.  
  
"Why did you stop painting after the Second World War, Misao? You had so much talent." He said.  
  
"I don't know. I guess I didn't dare. I moved from Paris to Australia, when the war started. I had lived through a Great War, I didn't need another one. I stopped painting."  
  
She had stopped so much more than just painting! She had stopped with her bohemian life. A single woman living in Sydney, in 1939, and a Japanese woman furthermore! She had to be very careful with who she related with.  
  
"And I was crushed when we attacked Pearl Harbor and, later on, horrified with the atomic bombs. I bought a house in Paris as soon as the war ended." Misao said. I don't think I fitted very well in that island."  
  
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
  
Aoshi looked at his bedroom ceiling. He couldn't sleep. After talking to Misao until 4 a.m., they had said their goodbyes and he had gone to his room. But he knew he wouldn't fall asleep very early tonight. He felt all his muscles tense and like a ready lion who's hunting. He knew what had done this to him: her closeness. They had sat very close to one another on that damn sofa. He could still sense her smell on himself!  
  
He had spent the whole night wondering how he could have been so blind to her beauty? The night before, when he had dropped her in that bed, and he had turned the lamp on; the white light had touched her face and she had glowed. The white sheets had paled near her soft skin and her black hair had never seemed so soft and velvety! He hadn't been able to stop himself and opened her shirt, to see the wound he had caused there. Aoshi could still remember the pain in his heart when he had seen the long gash on her soft chest and the dried blood. He had stood there for hours until he clearly saw her flesh mend itself and the skin cover it. Then he had cleaned the blood and called for a maid to dress her.  
  
And now he felt his fingers aching to touch her. He had felt his body temperature rise when he had seen her enter his room and had seen the outlines of her body against the light coming from the hallway. Aoshi turned to his other side on the bed. His heart was beating at an abnormal rate. Strange, he thought. And he was sweating. Aoshi turned again. He was feeling chills up and down his spine. God, how he felt good after talking to her again! He turned again.  
  
"I'm never going to fall asleep at this rate" He muttered to himself. He started wondering if she would mind him asking to sleep by her side. "No, too quick, too quick." He answered himself. He knew she would feel bad if he asked her. No, tonight he had to sleep alone, even if she was just some rooms away.  
  
- - - - - - - - - - -  
  
"So she'll go?"  
  
"Yes, she said she would." Aoshi answered Saitoh's question. It was the third of November, Aoshi still had to go to his office, had to provide Misao a dress and had to see her still. She had woke up very early and had gone for a walk, now that Aoshi had taken care of letting his butler know she could go wherever she wished to.  
  
He left a message with Shirai for Misao, got into his car, and drove off to his office located in Tokyo's center, where he received his clients. Aoshi, right now, was working as the best backup plan the government had ever had. When things didn't work, they sent Aoshi and his team to do the job. Of course, Aoshi had his limits of actions, being his scruples. All the members of the team were Immortal, and they worked together on more than government missions.  
  
Aoshi entered his floor and looked around, searching for someone. Right now, he had placed his team working on everybody invited to the party Aoshi had asked Misao to go to. The list was enormous! Aoshi opened the door of the conference room and found four of them glued to computers.  
  
"Good morning, minna." Aoshi said, wandering around trying to catch up with them. A woman raised her head from the screen and smiled at her teammates.  
  
"Mr. Shinomori sure looks happy today, doesn't he?" She asked, with a strong Scottish accent. "I wonder…"  
  
"How are you doing, Helen?" Aoshi asked, ignoring the woman's taunts. But the other three looked at him, with a smile.  
  
"Yes, you do look happy, boss." One said.  
  
"This smells like… WOMAN!" All four started laughing, while Aoshi looked at them with a displeased look on his face.  
  
"What do you have?" He asked again.  
  
"Well, we've been through just sixty people, but we have here a lot of old little Immortals. We've been comparing this list with the one from that other party the brother Gosh were invited, we got seven people that were on the two, until now of course." A young man said, from behind a screen.  
  
"Print that list, with historical and go on." Aoshi said, moving closer to a printer where, seconds later, four pages came. He was leaving the room when Helen called him.  
  
"Have you found a date for that party, boss?" She asked, while moving her fingers over the keyboard and looking at the screen.  
  
"Yes." He answered, knowing that it would raise a lot of questions. Those Immortals had been with him for a long time, and most of them had a firm friendship with him, even if he didn't always allow their jokes.  
  
"Really? Who?" Another guy asked.  
  
"It's a surprise." Aoshi laconically answered and walked out of the room and out the building.  
  
While he was getting into his car, Aoshi got his cell-phone out and marked a number. After awhile a man's voice came up.  
  
"Yes?" It asked with a girly voice.  
  
"Armando, it's Aoshi."  
  
"Aoshi-san, dear! How are you?" Aoshi turned his key and started the car, while talking to his tailor.  
  
"Armando, I need you to do me the most dashing, daring and incredible dress you've ever done." Aoshi said, trying to picture Misao's face when she saw the dress. Armando was known for his daring women's dress'. She would have a fit or love it!  
  
"Sure, honey. Just need the measurements, the color and you have to give me a picture of what you want." Armando said and Aoshi could just imagine the gay tailor running around like a dizzy cockroach.  
  
"I can't give you clear measurements, because it has to be a surprise, but I can get you a picture of her and you estimate, alright? I want it black, it's a night dress. Oh, and I want it done in two days." Aoshi heard Armando sighed.  
  
"Two days?! Oh, alright. I guess I can work even under these circumstances. Who is the lucky girl?" Armando asked, all excited.  
  
"Bye, Armando." Aoshi hung up. Okay, now he just had to get home and have the rest of the day with Misao.  
  
- - - - - - - - - - -  
  
Nicolai was near to having a serious coronary and couldn't stop pacing all around the flat. He had no idea what to do to find Misao and that stain on the carpet didn't help ease him. He was in the middle of another pacing when the phone rang and Nicolai ran to it.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Nicolai, this is Misao." He heard Misao's calm voice on the other side of the line.  
  
"Misao! Where are you? I'll get you in a second." He practically yelled at the speaker.  
  
"No, there's no need. I'm alright and I'm staying here." She calmly answered.  
  
"But, where's here?"  
  
"Look, I'm safe and I'll call you if I need anything. I just wanted to reassure you that I'm okay. You go on working with Saitoh." Misao said.  
  
"I'm not sure I can trust him, Misao. He looks like he doesn't give a damn if we succeed or not." Nicolai waited for an answer, but he got silence. "Misao?"  
  
"Look, you do what you want. Do you want to go back to Prague?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Do what you please. I got to go now. Bye."  
  
"But…" Nicolai heard the phone being hung up. 


	7. 7a Come on! Just a sip

Those number at the beginning of the previous chapter were Aoshi and Misao's ages. I'm glad people are liking this story and I'll do my best to update the next chapters as soon as possible. It looks to me as if this is going to turn into a long fic.  
  
Once again, thanks Moon for pre-reading! You're the best!  
  
Oh, BTW, I don't own RK or Highlander.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
1 Crossover between RK & Highlander  
  
chap. 7 a  
  
- - - - - - - - - --  
  
Aoshi looked at the papers in front of him. He had been reading those reports for two hours and, out of the seven people, he already had three who looked suspicious. One of them was a French woman, Theodora Montcreaut, who in the late months had grown immensely stronger than before, having had ten awakenings in the last two and a half months. Another one was Kanou Amora, a Brazilian who had moved to Japan four months before and, even though his finance wasn't the best before, it seemed to have flourished while in Japan and had had seven awakenings in the last two months. The last one was a Japanese, the youngest of them all, Michinaka Shitao.  
  
Aoshi looked at his watch. It was two in the afternoon and he still hadn't seen Misao. When he had returned home, the servants had told him she had already returned, but she hadn't come down to see him. He was eager to see her. The servants had told him she had gone riding and had returned saying she was going to have a bath. But two hours in a bath was too much.  
  
Just when Aoshi was arranging the papers to go see where she was, his door slowly opened. In came Misao wearing a beige skirt, a blue tank top and high heal sandals. She was carrying a tray in her left hand, with two cups and hot tea. She was serving him tea?! Aoshi was sure he would have been looking at her with a stupid face, if it weren't for his control over his facial muscles. She was looking beautiful. She walked slowly towards the table and placed the tray near his hands.  
  
"Hi." Said Misao, handing him his teacup.  
  
"Hello, Misao." Aoshi smelled the tea. Great, she still remembered which was his favorite. "Thank you."  
  
"No sweat." She sat in one of the free chairs and crossed her legs. "So, where were you this morning?"  
  
"I went to my office, to see if any new information was gathered." Answered Aoshi, while taking a sip of the tea. From under his bangs, Aoshi looked closely at her. The light coming from the window lit her face completely, making her skin shine. Her eyes looked like bottomless seas and her hair looked like burning silk. She smiled at him.  
  
"Your office? You have a office?" Aoshi nodded. "And who works there?"  
  
"Some Immortals. They're working on this Watchers thing. They're running over the guest list to find someone who's… suspicious." Aoshi answered.  
  
"Very movie like." Misao said, with a mischievous smile. "So, is there anything you think I should know about this party?"  
  
"Well, apparently they invited me, because I'm the very well known rich Immortal bachelor of this town. You are going as… as my…"  
  
"Your what, Aoshi? Your girlfriend? You can say it, I won't faint" Said Misao, grabbing her teacup and drinking. "And what are we going to do when we get there?"  
  
"Well, we have to be very alert, since we don't know exactly what we're after and we have to observe everyone. This party may very well be the stage of another killing."  
  
"Alright. What about Saitoh and Nicolai?" Aoshi's eyebrow twitched. Just the mere sound of that guy's name made him nervous.  
  
"Saitoh has to stay in Kyoto and I don't think your…friend would be very useful here." Said Aoshi. " My team will be on the outside, in case we need any help."  
  
"And what about that information your team gathered? Anything worth mentioning?" Misao asked, placing her empty cup on the table. Aoshi grabbed the papers and briefed her about the information he had summoned in the last couple of hours. Misao listened and nodded her head a couple of times. After Aoshi was finished, an uncomfortable silence settled inside the room. After two or three minutes, Aoshi cleared his throat.  
  
"I've heard there's a nice jazz club nearby, that has some nice performances. I thought I'd go and check it out. You want to come?" He asked, pacing a little near the table. Misao looked at him, uncrossed her long legs and rose off the ancient chair.  
  
"I'll go and get my coat and then we can go." She placed both cups on the tray and carried it out of the room. Aoshi looked at her and couldn't help but notice the smooth sway of her hips as she walked and the way her damp hair clung to her back, the part the top didn't cover. As Misao was shifting the tray from one hand to another, he noticed a couple of black lines over her high hip, that the top had left uncovered when she had moved. The lines formed a kanji, but he had no time to observe more closely and figure out what it meant. It had to be a tattoo, but he didn't know she had any. It had to have been made before she left or it would have healed. Aoshi couldn't see young Misao having a tattoo on her high hip. He had been trying to squeeze his memory for any tattoo, when Misao returned with a bombazine black coat over her body.  
  
"Ready?" She asked. Aoshi nodded and, after fetching his own coat, they left. Misao followed him over the courtyard to a convertible black Jaguar. She was really dying to make a comment about the "small dick, big car" concept, but thought it through. Maybe if she had a little more confidence with him, but it was still very precarious. Like the gentleman he was, Aoshi held the door opened for her and then walked to his own side. The sports car started running and Misao thought it sounded pretty much like an angry herd trying to be set free. Misao looked at her companion out of the corner of her eye. He really called attention, with his entire appearance, his attitude and this car. She really couldn't understand why he didn't have flocks of girls screaming after him. Well, they were still inside his property, so they couldn't exactly enter, could they?  
  
Aoshi, after a while, placed his dark glasses over his eyes and looked at her. "You don't talk like you used to." He stated. Misao looked at him. What did he expect? Was he hoping she would stay the goofy love puppy she had been? "I've evolved, Aoshi. People end up doing that, after a couple of years." She replied sarcastically.  
  
"I know, but you always look like you have something to say, but you always end up saying very little. I know we haven't seen each other for a long time, but I was hoping we could… well, you know…"  
  
Misao didn't know what he meant, but she didn't ask him either. She wasn't sure she wanted to know. He was hoping they could be friends? Or something more? To be honest with herself, Misao didn't know which one was better… or worse. And, looking from another point of view, did he really expect her to be his best friend out of the blue, after that scene in the Temple and after years of separation? Aoshi seemed to have caught on to her.  
  
"I know we… the four years before you left, had kind of a strange relation-"  
  
"We didn't have any. I brought you tea, Aoshi." Misao cut off his speech. Now she knew for certain; she didn't want to hear that again, not now. What was he going to say? 'If we can stay just friends, we'll be just fine?' After last night and the sleepless hours after it, she didn't know if she could refrain herself. To her utter horror, she had begun to feel some of the same things she felt for him at the Aoiya. How could that be? How could he have such control over her?!  
  
Aoshi didn't attempt any conversation after that, and they arrived at the jazz club in no time. It was still too early for it to be packed, since it was still mid afternoon, but Aoshi parked the car and opened the door for her again. He offered her his arm and then walked over to the black door of the club. The club outside didn't call special attention, one had to know it was there to notice it, since it was small and the flash lights were all very dim. On the inside it was completely different. The tables and chairs were all very classic, of wood and polished stone. The stage was small but very well taken care of, like everything there. The entire thing however had very dim lights and most of the corners were left to the darkness.  
  
"This normally has a packed house, so I came earlier, so we can reserve a table. We don't have to stay here all afternoon, it's still very early. We can go have a walk or something." Aoshi said. When a waiter greeted them, Aoshi reserved one of the tables just in front of the stage and near a small dance floor. After everything was settled, both of them walked out.  
  
"So, now what?" Misao asked, but Aoshi merely shrugged his shoulders. "Look, I haven't eaten a thing after breakfast and I'm kind of hungry. Do you know a place nearby where we can eat?" Aoshi seemed to consider it and, after a small smile, helped her into his car again and they drove off. Misao started to recollect the view after a while and started wondering how Kaoru's Dojo remained. But she soon forgot, when she saw the huge light sign saying 'Akabeto' in big letters. She was rather pleased he had remembered something like that. It was so sweet of him! Misao looked at Aoshi and granted him a huge smile.  
  
The restaurant's building wasn't the same, off course. Some improvements had been made to it, but it was a clear combination between the new and the old. As they entered, a waiter wearing almost the same uniform as Tae came to them.  
  
"Good afternoon. Table for two?" She asked, with a large smile. Aoshi nodded and she took them to a small table near a window that had a view to a small garden in the back of the building. Aoshi helped her take her coat off and then took his own.  
  
"This place is really nice in the summer. They have a small number of tables in the garden and it's very quiet and agreeing. They have a wall of photos, you know?" Aoshi said, sitting across her. "The first time I looked at it, I found a photo of Tae with Kaoru and Tsubame. I wanted to buy the photo, but they don't sell them."  
  
"I've got to go and see it, after we're finished. It's really sweet of them to have such old photos! Thank you for bringing me here."  
  
"You would've remembered it sooner or later and I wanted to give you a surprise." Aoshi looked over his menu. "What are you having?"  
  
"Sushi. I haven't had a real one for ages! You should try one in Paris, it's kind of funny of them to call that sushi." Misao said, dropping the menu.  
  
"I guess a Japanese hand does matter, un?" He called the waiter and ordered for them. "Have you tried Russian food? Well the actual food is quite good, although different, but they make you drink vodka with everything! Before the meal, during the meal and after the meal. And, if you're lucky, between meals."  
  
"Out of all the European foods I've had, Greek's my personal favorite. To think I only found out olives existed when I was… what? Thirty or something! I like it a lot and it's quite healthy."  
  
The afternoon went on by like the wind and, when they looked at the time it was already nine.  
  
"Well, not that I like getting out of a restaurant and into a pub, but we better go." Aoshi said, paying for the meal. They grabbed their coats and left in a hurry. Aoshi placed his right hand in the small of her back and pulled her lightly in the car's direction. It took them five minutes to get there and Misao could already see a line of people outside the restaurant. Aoshi led her to the front door's waiter and after a while they were sitting at their table. A tall and very bony woman was on stage, singing a slow jazz song with a piano executing the accompaniment. Aoshi choose a bottle of wine, while Misao listened to the song's lyrics.  
  
"Why can't  
  
why can't we forget  
  
the ones that have already  
  
already let go?  
  
When time comes  
  
comes to a stop  
  
what will there be?  
  
Just a life…  
  
A life that wasn't what we wished for,  
  
A life that is made  
  
Made of them…  
  
The ones that have already  
  
Already let go."  
  
She had a nice voice, Misao thought. While looking around she saw everyone looking at a small paper and saw that they had one too. Misao picked it up and it turned out to be the list of all those who would be performing that night.  
  
"So, what's the woman's name?" Aoshi asked, leaning a bit to her direction, trying to see the name.  
  
"Mikado Yuki. I like her." Aoshi nodded his agreement and tasted the wine when it came. The waiter placed a small paper with the amount they had to pay on the way out on the table. "Kami, Aoshi! This wine bottle is worth more than my first apartment!" She said, exaggerating a bit. Aoshi served her one glass and placed it right in front of her.  
  
"Taste it and you'll see why it's so expensive. This place is one of the few that serves this kind." Misao took a tiny sip. It really was fantastic! She didn't remember having had one so good like that in some time.  
  
"I remember having one similar to this one in London, a long time ago." She said while the taste of the rich liquid still ran in her mouth.  
  
"It's possible. This is wine from Portugal. They have great wine. England has always had a history with Portugal's wine, I think." Aoshi said, before having another sip.  
  
"While I was in France, I drank French wine most of the time."  
  
"This is quite expensive, because it comes directly from Portugal, and this year was quite a catch for them. Last year I bought an entire stock, but it's gone now. I found it quite soothing."  
  
"Well, I find it addictive. If I don't control myself, I'll end up drunk." Misao joked and Aoshi granted her a small smile for her attempt.  
  
"That's alright, I'll get you home safe, Misao." He said, looking at her intently. Misao after that look, didn't know if HE would get safe home. She looked at the stage, trying to hide her blush and her thoughts. The pianist was now playing his solo and the dance floor had already two or three couples dancing. Misao moved her hand to grab her glass, but it touched his hand that was placed nearby. Her blush became even bigger and her entire hand and arm became hot. She saw his own eyes divert to their hands, but he looked away almost immediately. She took an even bigger sip then she intended, but made no case of it. Until, of course, she had already drunk four glasses and Aoshi started filling her fifth.  
  
Even if her body had the capacity of healing itself, it needed some time to do it and Misao wasn't used to so much alcohol in her blood. So, after some time, her eyesight became dizzy and the lights seemed a bit happier than when she had first seen them. Just then, Aoshi grabbed her hand.  
  
"Want to dance?" He asked, already rising from his chair. Misao didn't know if she could handle being pressed to his body and handle a slow dance, with her brain drowning in Portuguese wine. Damn him!  
  
"Why not?" She answered, to her horror. Now she knew for certain; her hormones had taken over, and her reason had been taken hostage. She wasn't safe. Well, actually, he wasn't safe. Only God knew what Misao could do, when her hormones were handling her romantic affairs.  
  
Aoshi led her to the dance floor and placed his hands on her waist, pulling her closer. She could feel his muscled chest against hers, his arms around her, his thighs touching her and his head over her.  
  
"This is going to be such a long night." She whispered, without knowing.  
  
"Did you say something, Misao?" Aoshi asked, raising his head.  
  
"No, no, no."  
  
Oh boy…  
  
- - - - - -  
  
Thanks for reading everyone! Please feel free to comment, okay? The date will go on the next par of chapter 7, don't miss it. In the meantime I'll try and figure out what that tattoo says. Kidding, I already know!  
  
JA!  
  
MaRiAnA  
  
P.s.: Was Aoshi trying to get Misao drunk? Well, that I still don't know. We'll all have to wait for the next chapter! 


	8. 7b So I drank a little to much! So what?

1  
  
2 Hi! How's everyone? I want to thanks all the nice reviews I've been receiving. This chapter is a bit smaller than the other ones, but the next one will be about the party (finally!) and I didn't have anything to place in this one.  
  
Also want to thanks Moon for the kind and funny remarks and for putting up with my grammar! You're the best!  
  
3 ----------------------  
  
4  
  
5  
  
6 Crossover between RK & Highlander  
  
Chapter 7b  
  
- - - - - -  
  
Aoshi had his mind split in two objects. The first was of course Misao; he looked at the top of her head and felt his heart relax. The other was the fact that he felt as though he had ants crawling under his skin. Had it been because of the wine? He had never felt that effect before! He felt his hands burning with movement and the fabric of Misao's top rubbing against them. The feeling of cotton fabric was engrained into the nerves of his legs. . And he felt hot.  
  
The singer's voice kept entering his brain, but only the tone, because the lyrics were lost to him. His brain couldn't digest that much information at the same time. He felt Misao lay her head on his shoulder and saw her close her eyes. He could tell she was a bit tired… or a bit drunk. She had never had had a good tolerance to alcohol and now she took some time to get over it.  
  
He also felt the huge effort it took him not to take a look at her tattoo and see what it was. He was burning with curiosity! Her right hand moved from his waist up his back, and he felt goosebumps all over his skin. That hand dropped down his back, then up again… it did that movement, up and down, for at least five whole minutes. Then he heard something, a small noise. What was that? He moved his head closer to her, to hear it more clearly. Yup, he was right; she was purring. The effect that sensuous sound had on him was astonishing. If he didn't have great control over his body, he would have got a tremendous hard-on. If she was this sexy without meaning to be, then he didn't know what to do if she decided to make a move on him. He didn't remember her ever coming on to him that hard, when they lived at the Aoiya. Well, she had been an innocent at that time after all; she surely didn't know how to cause that effect on a man. He couldn't forget all the lovers she had had over the years.  
  
It had took him years to summon almost all the photos and bios on those guys. Most of them were dead by now, but some of them were Immortals that kept wandering around bars and clubs trying to catch young women. He couldn't imagine his sweet Misao in the middle of a club dancing or making out with some of those guys. He felt Misao's hand clutch his shirt, and her nose fondle his neck, while purring. No, wait, he could see her after all. She had matured so much! She knew the world and, most importantly, she knew men and how to deal with them. But right at that moment, Aoshi was almost certain she didn't have a clue what she was doing.  
  
Right after the song finished, Aoshi took her hand and led her to their table again. Her hand didn't let go of his shirt until they were seated in their chairs. She placed her head between her hands and tried to sort her head out. Aoshi was just about to take her home, when a hand dropped to his shoulder.  
  
"Aoshi, you decided to follow my guide for once." Said a voice from behind him. Aoshi's head turned around and he recognized the man, who stood along side his girlfriend, as an old friend of his. Aoshi raised from the chair and shook his hand.  
  
"Hi, Clayton. How's everything?" Aoshi asked his friend.  
  
"Everything's fine. Look, this is Rebecca, my girlfriend." Said Clayton, introducing the tall blonde woman besides him. "Hon, this is Aoshi, we meet at one of those boring meetings about security."  
  
Rebecca granted Aoshi a huge smile and shook his hand, and caressed it so that Clayton couldn't see. "Hi! Do you mind if we sit with you?" She asked, as if she knew him and not Clayton. Aoshi accepted, but the thought of putting Misao at the same table as that woman didn't please him. As soon as they sat, Misao raised her head, and Aoshi introduced them to her. After a while, Clayton got up to greet another friend of his.  
  
"So, Aoshi, what do you do for a living?" Rebecca asked with a sugary voice making Misao's head turn to look at her.  
  
"I work in the security business." He answered with an air of boredom. Rebecca, thinking Misao wasn't looking, placed her hand on his thigh and smiled at him.  
  
"Really? That's so interesting." Aoshi raised one eyebrow at her and then looked at Misao. She was pouring herself another glass of wine, after having finished the other one. She was going to get terribly pissed! "And what exactly do you do in the security business?"  
  
"I make sure people are safe." He answered, taking her hand and putting it on the table. Rebecca fetched her purse and pulled out a cigarette. Soon after, the smoke was around them.  
  
"Is that like a bodyguard?" She asked, leaning over him. Misao was already on another glass. Aoshi could clearly see her clenched jaw. "I think it's so cool when people risk their lives to save other people's." Rebecca's voice was a whisper used just for him to hear.  
  
"I'm not a bodyguard anymore." Answered Aoshi, taking a look to see if Clayton was coming back or not.  
  
"Ow, but you've got the body of one. You're all muscles." Rebecca said, placing her hand on his arm. Aoshi thought about smacking it, but he didn't want to make a scene, especially with Clayton there. Just as Aoshi was rolling his eyes in contempt, Misao dropped her glass and turned to them. Then she did the most amazing thing ever! She rubbed against him, placed one hand in his face and purred loud enough for Rebecca to hear.  
  
"Aoshi, lets go home." She let her hand trail down his chest to his belt. "We have such interesting things to do at home, Hun."  
  
Aoshi felt Rebecca recoil and hiss. He also could smell an immense amount of alcohol wafting through the air, when Misao talked to him. She was really pissed! But he didn't let that chance go. He grabbed her things, placed a hand around her waist and stood up to leave.  
  
"Well, Rebecca, I'm going home. Please excuse us to Clayton and tell him I'll call him one of these days." And then he let Misao drag him. Once outside, Misao took his hand away and started laughing hard. Her steps were hesitant, and she kept making huge gestures with her arms.  
  
"That was so much fun!" She said. "Did you see her face?" Then she burst out laughing again. Aoshi smiled at her and opened his car door for her. She sat and looked at him when he ran to the other side of the car. "So, what do we do now?" She asked, when he started the car.  
  
"I thought you wanted to go home."  
  
"I just said that, because you looked like you could use some help with that woman." She said, sighing. "What about a walk along the sea?" She asked.  
  
"Are you sure you're capable of walking?" He asked with a devious smile.  
  
"Hai! I'm not drunk, Aoshi." Answered Misao. "Besides, it's only midnight."  
  
"Very well." Aoshi stepped on the gas and drove to the docks. A city like Tokyo never goes to sleep, and at midnight, it was still very much alive. The nightclubs were just opening and huge lines of people could be seen outside their doors; most of them had big-lit signs. Yes, the city was just coming to live. Misao closed her eyes and opened her window. Aoshi couldn't help but look as her hair flew in the air, around her face and shoulders.  
  
"We're here." He said. He was hoping she had fallen asleep during the trip, but her eyes opened as soon as he talked. She got out of the car and put on her coat. He got out too and locked it. "Which way do you want to go?"  
  
Misao merely walked to her left and told him to follow her. Aoshi ran up to her, and both of them walked in silence for some time. Her steps were still a bit hesitant, but they got better after a while and Aoshi could see she was coming out of her drunkenness.  
  
"Damn that Portuguese wine!" She whined. "I can't believe you let me drink that much, Aoshi."  
  
"Well, I wasn't looking, and I'm not your father. I thought you knew your limit." He answered calmly.  
  
"Apparently I don't."  
  
"Well, I know that now, don't I?" He said, smirking. She looked at him and caught him smiling.  
  
"It's not funny! Before, you never smiled, and now, you smile for stupid things!" Aoshi was surprised to find anger in her voice. She had never talked to him like that! Sure, she had given him some sarcastic replies over the last few days, but she had never been angry with him. Or maybe she had been all the time and only had the guts to show him at that moment. Aoshi couldn't imagine her not being angry with him. After all, he had refused her love, ignored her, had pretty much broken her heart, had let years and years gone by without talking to her, had stabbed her… yes, she must have been angry with him all that time.  
  
So he did the only thing that came to his head. He hugged her. He squeezed her body to his and whispered to her ear: "I'm sorry, Misao. I really am." After some moments, he felt Misao's arms encircle him and pat his back.  
  
"That's okay, Aoshi. I'm sorry I yelled at you. I didn't mean to." Aoshi looked at her eyes. She was smiling again. Then, he looked at her lips and saw her tongue dart out to lick them. He felt himself bend down to follow that tongue inside her mouth.  
  
"Honk! Honk! Get a fucking room!" A couple of kids in a car passed right beside them and made their point clear. Misao jumped out of his embrace and started walking again. Damn! He could just kill those kids.  
  
Aoshi started walking too, and they kept silent for a long time, until Aoshi's cell phone rang.  
  
"Hai?"  
  
"Aoshi, it's Saitoh. Where are you?" Saitoh's hard voice asked.  
  
"I'm walking. Why?"  
  
"Walking?! Well, whatever. We've got another couple of dead bodies and this time we've got a warning with it."  
  
"A warning?" Aoshi asked. "For whom?"  
  
"Us. It says: 'Keep away from our business, we're on to you too.' Very eloquent!" Said Saitoh, sarcastically. "Get to your house as soon as you can. I'm e-mailing you some photos of it, and I want to talk to you after that. Can you stop… walking and go home?" Saitoh hung up.  
  
"We've got to go home, Misao. Saitoh's found another couple of bodies and this time it has a warning for us." Misao nodded and headed back for the car.  
  
  
  
When Aoshi got to his computer that was plugged in 24/7, he already had the 'You've got mail' sign. He opened the mail, and the computer quickly downloaded four pictures. The first two were of a wall with blood red writings on it.  
  
"' Keep away from our business, we're on to you'" Misao read, over his shoulder. "How do we know that's for us? They could be warning the Watchers that are on to them. It is, after all, the first time Watchers are meddling with our affairs and that could be warning them."  
  
"Yes, yes they could, but we've got to work as if it was mean for us. It's safer that way." Answered Aoshi, while opening the third photo. It one showed the bodies with their heads cut off. That was nothing new to them.  
  
"But if we've got to work considering that warning is for us, then we've got to consider the possibility of them knowing us. How do we work undercover at the party, if they know us?" She asked, while Aoshi opened the last photo. That one showed two bullet holes in the back of each dead body. Their heads had been cut while dead. "Bunch of cowards."  
  
"Even if they know us, we have to go to that party. Nothing leads us to believe they know who we are. The warning could or not be for us. If you look at it, you'll see we've got nothing more than this party. We have to go."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Go to bed, Misao. You need to sleep. We'll talk about this tomorrow morning over breakfast."  
  
"Goodnight, Aoshi. I had a really nice time today, thanks."  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
Misao walked out the room and closed the door. Aoshi rubbed his eyes, to get some of the sleep out of them. He still had to mail something before going to bed himself. He went through his pictures and picked one of Misao that showed all her body. He pasted it onto a document and typed under it:  
  
«Armando, here's the photo you asked. I want it done the morning after tomorrow, tops. And I mean it. Call me when it's done. Aoshi.»  
  
He clicked send and went to bed.  
  
  
  
  
  
The day after…  
  
"Ring… ring… ring… ring…"  
  
Sleepily Aoshi picked up the phone near his bed and looked at his clock. It was 6:30 in the morning, for God's sake!  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Aoshi! Who is she?" Armando's voice yelled at him. How could the man have so much energy so early in the morning? "She is simply divine! That hair! Ow, and those eyes are simply to dies for!"  
  
"I thought you were gay, Armando." Said Aoshi, getting up. After this he knew he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep; he might as well get up and go jogging in the woods.  
  
"Oh, I am, Aoshi, you dog. But I can't help but admire. You must bring her over some day. Oh, and that tiny waist. Is she a model? She must be!" Armando went on and on about Misao's body, until Aoshi's eyes got twisted after rolling his eyes so much.  
  
"Look, Armando, I got to go. See ya! Oh, and by the way, she isn't a model."  
  
"What a waste, my God!"  
  
Aoshi hung up and walked to his wardrobe. He got dressed in a pair of blue sweat pants, a gray T-shirt and sneakers. Five minutes later he was outdoors jogging for the woods inside his property.  
  
Aoshi had to think through his plans. So, the party was the day after, he and Misao had to go and pretend they were a couple. After last night, Aoshi didn't know if he could just pretend to be going out with her. He would end up getting too much pleasure out of their performance, and he'd get addicted. He could already feel himself longing for her touch again! That hand moving up and down his back. The only thing missing was a scratch or two.  
  
"Oh, get over it, Shinomori. It's just Misao!" Yeah, sure. Easier said than done! While he ran, her face just wouldn't go away. And if it had only been her face, but it was her entire body clinging to his, talking to him as if he were her lover. After a while, his imagination had already taken him on trip too far for his taste. He had better slow down.  
  
"This is going to be so hard." He said to himself. "So hard."  
  
  
  
- - - - - - - - - - -- - - -- -  
  
Well, here it is. I really loved the Rebecca part! Go girl! That's Misao for us…  
  
Don't forget to review! Thanks for reading.  
  
JA!  
  
MaRiAnA 


	9. 8a It's only the beginning of the night

Crossover between RK & Highlander

8th chapter

- - - - - -- - - - - - - -

There was the day: the sixth of November. After all the years as spy and jobs of the sorts, Aoshi still felt that nervousness before action, as if he were merely a school boy. He had spent his day running over some papers his team had gathered for him and getting ready for the big event, until someone rang the door bell. Shirai, as expected, quickly went to open it and after a while Aoshi heard the door close and the butler crossing the hall.

"Who was that, Shirai?" Asked Aoshi, when the old man entered the living room where he was now reading.

"A young man, sir, dropping a packet from Armando-san. Where would I put it, sir?" He asked with his dignified look. Aoshi managed to control his raging curiosity and didn't peek inside the lilac box.

"Give it to Misao. It's for her." He answered and continued reading.

"Hai, sir." Shirai moved to step out of the room, but Aoshi's voice soon stopped him.

"Wait, Shirai, first follow me into my workroom. I have something I wish you to give her too." Said Aoshi, rising from his chair and crossing the living room and the hall, into his office. Shirai followed close behind, but when Aoshi moved to open his combination safe he moved a little far away and dropped his eyes on the window, respecting Aoshi's privacy. Out of that safe came a big jewel box of blue velvet that Aoshi opened. Inside laid a necklace that his father had offered his mother, upon the day of their betrothal, made of diamonds and sapphires. Apparently, while on a trip to Europe, Aoshi's father had remembered his mother's eyes while looking at that necklace. It was one of the last remains Aoshi had of his parents and he was more than honored to share it with Misao. He then proceeded taking another two boxes like the first one. Aoshi had long ago ordered a job based on the necklace, to get a pair of earrings and a bracelet to go along with it.

Combining those jewels with Misao's eyes would be absolutely explosive! Everyone in the room would stop and stare at that beauty. Aoshi grabbed the three boxes, placed them on top of Armando's box and Shirai was gone soon after.

It was five o'clock in the afternoon, they had to be there by eight and so Misao had, more or less, two hours to get ready. On the other hand, Aoshi got ready very quickly. He had himself a shower, dressed his tuxedo, and managed not to ruin the bow and, after only forty-five minutes, he was the eligible bachelor that the girls couldn't help but fuss over. 

At first he had been astonished that, inside the Immortals group, there were still the high and low class and that women still spent their entire eternity trying to catch a rich man to support them and their shopping habits. Aoshi didn't go to many of those parties, considering very few knew what he was, but had already had a meeting or two with some of those women. So no wonder Aoshi felt like a crumb thrown at a group of hungry birds every time he was invited to one of those parties. But he trusted that with Misao everything would be different! She would get the picture clear to them: he WASN'T a free man.

After having thought that Aoshi froze. Was he declaring himself taken? Had her charms already taken him? He had to admit he had already been a goner when they had meet again. After one spent years pursuing someone like Misao, it was hard not to fall in love with her, and if one knew her personally… Yes, he was NOT a free man, anymore. Now it was up to him to drive that point clear to her.

After he was finished he walked out of his room and decided to wait for her down stairs, in the living room. That way she would surely make an impression once she descended those stairs. He sat in a chair, drinking a glass of wine, when the phone rang.

"Yes?"

"Boss, it's Monty here. Hope you and your lady friend aren't planning on taking long. I'm here next to where you're going to crash and the guests are getting here as we speak. I've already talked to Sarah and they are getting there, with the limousine, in about five minutes." A powerful voice said. Monty was an old Immortal that worked with Aoshi for a long time. He was a great sword fighter, not as good as Aoshi, but pretty damn near.

"Very well, Monty. She isn't ready yet, but I trust she'll make her appearance very soon."

"Good luck, Boss."

Just as Aoshi hung up, he heard steps on the top floor. He walked to the end of the stairs and waited for her. And even if he had had to wait hours, it would have been worth it. Misao finally appeared dressed in a black gown. The right shoulder was left uncovered, while the left one was completely covered with the same black velvet that fell down her entire body, that hugged her legs so well. Part of the dress's back came to rest on her left arm and she had a huge slit near her right leg. Her hair was in a tight, large bun on her nape, with two locks of black, shiny hair framing her beautiful face. She wore only a little of dark-blue eye-shadow and a very light chocolate lipstick (it's a great color! It goes well with my skin color, but Misao has very white skin, ne? Well, you suggest something.). And she had placed the necklace! Aoshi had never had the chance to see his mother wearing it, but he was certain she had never looked as breathtaking as Misao looked now. It covered her entire neck with shining blue and white; just perfect for her! The earrings were also in place, as well as the bracelet, that rested on the upper right arm.

When she reached his side, she smiled at him and twirled just for him. The dress what completely backless! And it all rested so well over the small of her back! Once she saw the look on his face, Misao couldn't help but laugh.

"You really outdid yourself, Aoshi. This is one beautiful dress, ne?" She asked him.

"Hai… beautiful." Answered Aoshi, looking her over. She presented him her gloved hands, with a long sword in them. "Wha…?"

"Where do you propose I put this, Aoshi?" She asked. It was clear to him now that that was her sword. Actually, it was a very nice katana, with a very big hilt where lay a large sapphire. Aoshi knew that it had been a present from Adrien, her mentor.

"I'm taking my black trench coat, I'll carry it alongside mine."

Shirai crossed the hall and informed them that the limousine was already waiting for them outside. They put on their coats and walked outside. Aoshi didn't know very well what to expect, when his team meet Misao. Outside the limo, in a very nice looking tux, holding the door open for them, stood Antonio, an Italian who generally worked undercover, considering he made very good use of his good looks and easy going personality. Aoshi helped Misao inside the car, but didn't miss the approving looks she was receiving from Antonio.

"Don't even think about it, Antonio." Aoshi warned, with a smirk that Antonio understood clearly.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Boss." He replied, closing the door. Inside the limo were two people: Sarah and Kayton. Sarah was a tall, blond woman from Dublin… well, 18th century Dublin. Kayton was a Jamaican, with long dreadlocks and a nose ring. Both of them looked at Misao with interest, waiting for an introduction.

"Well, minna, this is Misao. Misao, this is Sarah and Kayton." Misao smiled at them, and the both of them started getting them a couple of earplugs. The trip there wasn't that much long, so they got there in twenty minutes.

The party was being held in a huge mansion, inside a state. The road there was all illuminated, once inside the state, with paper lamps of various colors. Big yellow lights illuminated the mansion itself and they could see cars and guest arriving before them. Aoshi felt Misao's hands grasp his and, when he looked at her, she smiled nervously at him. No one would have pegged her for a court lady. He realized he absolutely loved the little girl attitude inside her. It made her so dear to him!

When the car stopped in front of the main door, Antonio stepped out of the car and opened them the door. When Aoshi got out he looked around himself, while offering his arm to Misao.

"I swear, they could've placed a little nicer floor." A woman whined about the gravel path to the house. "With high hells is absolutely awful to walk."

Aoshi looked at Misao's feet. Well, she must've been uncomfortable too; she was wearing very high hells, more or less 7 inches high. But she pulled him a bit to get inside and he followed her. At the entrance hall, two manservants took their coats and showed them to the main room. The room was richly decorated, with national themes and the lighting was artistically done by torches and everything had an air of medieval to it. At the entrance stood a man and a woman greeting the guest. It was actually quite a stupid show, since most of the guests were complete strangers to the hosts. The lady was wearing a complicated kimono and even had her face painted in the traditional way, while her husband used a man's kimono with dark colors. Aoshi didn't know if he had chose well his attire. Was this a mask party?

"Are you sure we're not the only ones to dress like this, Aoshi?" Asked Misao, speaking out his thoughts. When their time came for the greetings, Aoshi bowed and introduced himself and Misao.

"Oh, welcome Shinomori-san. When me and my husband decided to do this party to celebrate our comeback, we were told not to leave you out." Said Heiji, while smiling and looking at him up and down. On the other hand, Kurisumi, her husband, wouldn't take his eyes off of Misao, who was beginning to squirm under such scrutiny.

"I see you've got yourself a little lady friend, Shinomori. Don't believe I've ever heard your name before, Makimachi-dono." Said Kurisumi, smiling at the both of them as if implying that they had just made something naughty in the car before going to the party. It was a 'You must fuck her brainless, man' look, that Aoshi didn't think Misao would appreciate. [A.N: You know the look I mean, don't you? The 'nice peace of ass, mate' look. Argh…]

"I've just return to Japan, much like yourselves. I've been in Europe most of the time." Answered Misao, with a forced smile. They bowed again to their hosts and made their way to the room. "I could feel my arm rising to hit him. Pervert."

"Well, he was rude, but he…"

"He what?" Asked Misao, thinking he was going to defend their host.

"He does have good taste." Aoshi said, smiling at her. But Misao didn't catch the meaning of the complement or decided not to.

"You mean, you find Heiji attractive?" She asked, while taking a flute of champagne.

"Err… no, not quite." Answered Aoshi, looking at their hostess. She had cold black eyes and a smile that spoke contempt in volumes. NO, she was definitely not attractive.

"Well, whatever." She finished their conversation. "So, now we look for those guys you found of interest and see what happens, ne?" Aoshi nodded and they walked a little to the center of the room. A huge band was playing and a guy in a tux with white jacket was singing a Paul Simon's song. Some people were dancing, but most of them were talking with each other. Actually hadn't the room been that big, everybody would have asphyxiated, considering the room was completely packed! And in the middle of all that, stood a glorious Misao, sipping her champagne and looking around. As if she had felt his eyes on her, hers turned to him and looked him up and down.

"You look really nice tonight, Aoshi. If I didn't know you better, I would think you were trying to catch a woman tonight." Just after the words had left her mouth, Misao already regretted them. Why did she have to go and step on the flesh wound? What did she want? Him sticking another refusal in her face? Get over it, Misao!, she told herself. Aoshi looked at her, then looked at the room around him.

"The only one worth being caught is with me already, so I won't bother." Misao wished she were a poet then, for she really wanted to grant him an answer worth his complement. But she only managed to look at him and utter a lame "Arigatou".

"But I can still ask her for a dance, can't I?" Aoshi asked, with a small, but sweet smile that made her grin like a maniac.

"Do you know something, Aoshi?" She told him, while he led her to the dance floor. "I really wished you had shown me that smile before. It' really something worth seeing." Just after she looked at his face did she understand that she had left him like Aoshi had left her some moment ago: ecstatic, yet voiceless. She could swear she saw a small blush rise to his cheeks, but he bowed his head and she couldn't see his face very well.

"Maybe I have more reasons to smile now, then I had then."

They were dancing, but Misao's heart wasn't in it. She was trying to figure out what he had meant by that. Was he happier now that she wasn't hanging on him and that he had eternity to live away from her? A wave of rage came to her.

"I don't know, Aoshi, but your life then didn't strike me as hard and bad. Technically you didn't do a thing then, besides meditation." She didn't know if she had angered him or not, because he had laid his head on top of hers and the only reaction she got was an arm's tightening. That hadn't been very nice, she concluded too late. "I'm sorry, Aoshi. That was thoughtless."

"No, Misao, you're quite right. After their deaths I managed to kill my life outside myself. But I want you to know that meditation did help me and sometimes I still resort to it, but only in extreme cases. But I forgot about other things that would've probably help as well or better even… And for that, I'm regretful." Misao felt his right hand caress her naked back and she couldn't help the goose bumps all over her skin. She could feel his hard skin, from working with the kodachi. The room that minutes ago seemed so packed, felt empty right then. They were the only ones there, enjoying the music and each other's company. Misao placed her head under his chin, against his chest and she could clearly hear him purring. She knew she was suppose to watch carefully the entire room, but she couldn't but get lost in all the ambience, with the soft music, the light velvet against her body and Aoshi's body against her, with his hand caressing her naked skin.

Well, she couldn't help but get lost in it, until a strong body was pushed against her and a strong smell of cologne filled her senses. The body quickly excused himself and moved behind Aoshi, to talk to someone he knew. That small encounter had ruined everything. All those people around her came rushing inside her head and the music didn't sound as soft as before. Then, in the middle of all that, Misao heard a laugh. Not a common laugh, but one that plagued her since she had become an Immortal. It was a dry, but hot laugh, that ended shortly after it began, demonstrating the lack of humor in it. Misao's head raised off of Aoshi's chest and she looked in the sound's direction.

The owner of such forced laugh was a tall man, with black and curly hair, that was dressed in a formal tux and held a glass of champagne in his left hand. His right hand was placed around woman's waist. Misao's mind forced her not to overreact, so she waited until the man's face came to an angle that made it clear to Misao. After a while she could see that in front of her, laughing his head of with a tall and beautiful woman at his side, was Timon, the bloody bastard that had killed her. Trying to link his presence there with the killings, Misao looked at the woman and at the group he was with. The woman was extremely tall, with long blond hair, but she wasn't particularly pretty – actually she had a body of an overgrown boy and the face of a bull. When she talked, Misao was able to catch an accent in her voice. The group consisted of more two men, one a large and tall mulatto, with tons of gel on his hair, and the other was a small Japanese man, that looked like he had had too much to drink. Misao easily caught part of their conversation, as they were half a meter away.

"I swear… I hope one day a woman kicks him in the balls." The mulatto said, laughing.

"He has been farther away from that, Kanou. The other day he tried to it on a woman, who nearly killed him." The woman said. After some thought Misao could clearly make out the French accent in the voice. Everything was matching with their information. Misao looked up, at Aoshi's face, and found him looking at her, telling her he had already understood everything. Misao felt his other hand join the first over her back and his head dive to her neck, as if he were going to kiss it.

"This is too simple. Has to be a trap." He whispered.

"But we've found them!" Misao whispered back.

"Hai. Now we have to wait and see what they do. It seems one of their group is missing." Misao could feel his hand touching the small of her back and the other one her nape.

"One of them was the one who killed me." Misao said.

"Which one?" Aoshi asked, after raising his head and looking seriously at her.

* * *

Outside the large mansion a black van stood. Inside were two people: a man and a woman.

"How much time have we got to stay here?" The man asked.

"Look, last time I had to wait, with Violet, for three hours and it was a small gathering. So, now it's a large party, with millions of Immortals there and two of them are on to us. So, I gather, it will take some time. So, chill out, okay?" The man merely grunted and looked in front.

"I hope no one suspects my involvement in this or my cover will be blown." The man said after a while. "I would really love to kill him."

"Who?"

"The Shinomori guy." He answered, with a twisted smile. "With Misao watching."

"I don't know what that girl did to you, but she has found a great enemy in you… Nicolai." The woman said, looking directly at the Czech.

"You don't know the half of it." He answered.

* * *

Inside the party, Misao and Aoshi had walked away from the dance floor and watched the suspected group closely. Timon was dancing with the French woman and the rest were talking to different people. To say the truth Aoshi and Misao looked a lot more suspicious then them. Then out of the crowd a tall, blonde guy appeared.

"That's Diego." Misao told Aoshi. "Figures he had to be here. It looks to me like the guy spends his eternity smelling Tiomon's ass."

"It looks like he was the one missing. So now we know where the whole group is."

"Now what?" Misao asked, while looking over her dress to see if it had any wrinkles.

"Watch their next move."

They didn't have to wait long, because after the dance ended and Timon came back and joined the group, with Theodora, the French woman, they started to move closer to a door. Discreetly the couple followed them and watched them walk outside and walk in the direction of a near by forest. The yard was also packed with people, so the moving group didn't call any attention. But soon all of them were walking to a deserted area that was already out of the hosts' property.

"I know we're walking into a trap, but can we do anything else?" Misao asked, while she gracefully walked besides Aoshi.

"No. This is the only thing we have right now and if we have to follow them and end up in their lap, even better. I could use some exercise." Aoshi answered her, giving her katana.

"Easy for you to say, you're not wearing seven inches high sandals."


	10. 8b In and out, someone's happiness is so...

Hello! I actually thought this chapter would take longer than it has! Yesterday I just sat down, to start writing a page or two, and the whole chapter just came! This chapter is very important, I feel. I must WARN you that, thanks to this chapter, the rating has changed. It is nothing very long or very explicit (I've seen worst), but I feel I must warn you anyway. SO WATCH OUT! A SMALL LEMON UP AHEAD!

You'll also have to forgive any English errors I have, but this chapter hasn't been reviewed by my pre-reader.

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* * *

Even through eternity

Chapter 8b

Aoshi gave Misao her katana and looked around, careful for someone who might follow them into the forest. Misao sandals made a small squashy sound when they walked over fallen leafs. He could also hear cars moving in a nearby road, which Aoshi took into account in case they had to run and meet up with his team. Just a few meters ahead he could hear laughter and voices from the people they were following and he knew that their carefree nature was making Misao extremely irritated.

"Stay calm, Misao." Aoshi thought about telling her to focus, but her face made him step back a bit. He kept forgetting she wasn't _his_ Misao that he could say whatever it pleased him. This one fought back. The easiness in her pose when she carried her sword was a clear sign that she was used to fights with it.

After a while they were so into the forest that they couldn't feel the presence of the other Immortals inside the mansion. The only ones they could pick up were each other and those other five. Then they entered a clearing and they stopped. The laughter sound and the voices were gone. Everything stopped. Then the sound of grass being stepped on was heard behind them. When they turned around Timon stood there, looking at Misao with a smile to his face.

"If you're following us, I think you should stop here." He said, with laughter dancing in his voice. He looked closely at Misao. "Well, well! Misao, you did survive! I swear if Loraine hadn't shown me your picture running around that corpse in Kyoto, I would have never believe you had made it through all these years without being killed."

"If you want, I can show you how I did it, you freak." Answered Misao, gripping her katana.

"Freak? Me?" Timon asked with an innocent look. "My dear, I believe we all are freaks, in our way."

"How poetic, Timon." Misao scorned. "If you consider yourself and your team freak, go right ahead, I'm with you 100%. But I'm no freak." Aoshi could see the pure hatred in her eyes and her jaws were clenched. "Where is your ass-licker?"

"Who?"

"Diego, that asshole. Where is he? He must be reading himself to shot us, ne? You are all so brave, aren't you?" She hadn't even finished her sentence, when they heard movement at their left. Misao turned around to face Diego, while Aoshi continued to stare at Timon.

"I'm no coward, little girl." Diego said, with a voice covered with hate and scorn. It was obvious that man was full of himself and thought of Misao as a simple joke, no real treat.

"If you're not a coward, then I'm the king of Persia. And you're not just a coward, you're damn stupid! Couldn't even plan this by yourself. Had to go shine someone's boots. What a disgrace for the Spanish people." When Aoshi looked at Misao and Diego, trying to see what she was trying to do, he caught it all. Of course both of them couldn't fight and beat the whole team, so Misao was trying to provoke Diego into a man on man fight. His pride would be too severed for him to let anyone else interfere in the fight.

"How dare you? You were so scared of yourself, you left Japan and never set foot in it until now!" Diego yelled, while Timon rolled his eyes.

"Well, I don't see you in Spain either. So shut up. At least I can live by myself!" Misao answered, making a face. Aoshi, out of the corner of his eyes, saw a masked man enter the clearing.

"And what a shame you did, Misao." The masked man said. "All your hard work will be thrown out the window." He carried a sword at his side and with it made a sigh to Timon that he wanted no one to interfere. "So, Shinomori, you've been very quiet. I bet you think you'll be getting out of this one, ne? Well, guess what? There won't be any late night with Misao tonight." He said, with clear rage in his voice. Aoshi looked around and saw that everyone had disappeared, except Diego, who continued to glare at Misao like a spoilt brat, even if she hadn't said a thing and was just looking at the masked man.

"Who are you?" She asked. "You aren't any of those men inside."

Aoshi was distracted by the voice talking to him through his earplug. "We will be there as fast as we can, Boss." He heard Kayton say. When his attention was once again focused in the fight going on, Diego had moved closer to Misao, with his sword out and Misao was looking at him again. At the same time, the masked guy kept looking at him, as if trying to figure out something about him.

"You know something, Shinomori? You're not that great. You're just a skinny guy that can't speak a word." On the background Aoshi could hear Diego shouting something at Misao and lounging at her. He was a bit worried about her, but after watching some of her moves he understood that she was in complete control of the situation. Aoshi on the other hand was face to face with a man that apparently got his kicks out of insulting him.

"And just who might you be?" Aoshi finally asked. The other guy took his sword out of it sheath and snickered.

"I'm the man who will kill you tonight." Aoshi saw him pull out a huge sword that looked like the ones used by the Nordic barbarians. Then he jumped at him and Aoshi could only block him and move back a bit. The other guy's movements were clearly enraged and some of them were clearly illogic. The man wasn't even paying to what he was doing! But madmen usually have some kind of protection and this one was quite fast for someone his size, so he managed to deflect most of Aoshi's blows.

Diego, on the other hand, wasn't as lucky. Misao had already stabbed him trough the stomach and he was bleeding and panting as if they had started the fight over a century ago and not five minutes. Misao's only problem were her clothes. Aoshi had merely thought of impressing her and he had to admit he hadn't thought about fighting. She sometimes had problems when she tried bending or stretching her legs and the dress came in her way. But other than that she hadn't even broken in a sweat. Adrien had been a great master!

"You don't know how much I've wanted to kill you all these years." The masked man said. Aoshi thought it strange that he couldn't distinguish a man that, apparently, carried so much hate for him. His voice wasn't known to him either! While the man continued with his threats and cursing, Aoshi managed to stick the masked man's sword between a tree and his own sword and kick him in the stomach. The man fell on his knees, grabbing his injured stomach, and Aoshi would've been able to kill him, hadn't it been for a scream. A feminine scream.

When Aoshi turned around to look, he saw Diego had managed to cut Misao's face, but it was already healing itself. But Misao was extremely pissed! When Diego launched himself at her, she jumped left and knocked her katana hilt in his nape. As soon as Diego's head fell a bit forward, Aoshi saw Misao do a turn and bring her blade to it. A fraction of a second later, Diego's head was cut from his body. All of that had happened between seconds, but the injured man behind Aoshi didn't lose any of them and, after getting himself up, attacked Aoshi's back. Before Misao started to feel the Awakening, her eyes caught sight of Aoshi being injured in the back. The thought that he had been extremely stupid to turn his back at his enemy crossed her mind, but then she started to feel that electric current run through her entire body. All the hairs covering her body stood up and her eyes started rolling back. She didn't love that felling, like many Immortals did, because of what came before it. But that sense of power always left her amazed and overwhelmed.

She fell down when it stop and could faintly hear steps from someone running away from the clearing and then rushed steps, lots of them. Some of them she could distinguish: they were Aoshi's and he was moving slowly closer to her. She heard him fall on his knees near her and pick her head up.

"Misao, wake up." She could feel his hand caressing her face gently and trying to pick her pulse. She opened her eyes and saw his face directly above hers, looking her over with what appeared to be a proud look. "He never stood a chance, brave one." He told her, with a small smile.

"And… what crossed your mind to turn your back on that nut?" She asked, with a harsh voice. "That has got to be the stupidest thing I've ever seen you do." To her amazement he laughed and shrugged his shoulders. Misao looked away from his face, trying to figure out what had happened. There was no trail of that masked freak and Aoshi's team was running around, carrying the corps and the heads.

"Sarah killed that mulatto on her way here and you killed that Spanish guy." Aoshi said. "Other than that, they got away. I was pretty stupid! I could have killed that guy, but got distracted. He ran away when things got a bit wild."

Misao nodded and, with Aoshi's help, got up. She always felt a bit woozy after an Awakening. Antonio and Kayton were raping Diego's body in a black bag and Sarah was smoking a cigarette next to an already raped body. Aoshi led her out of the clearing and after five minutes they came to a road, where the limousine was waiting for them. A very tall and slender man was leaning against the hood, looking around.

"Monty, take us to the mansion. The rest of the team will take the truck. Tell them I want to see them tomorrow morning at the office." Aoshi said, while opening one of the doors to let Misao get in.

"Yes, Boss." Aoshi got inside after her and closed the door. She felt him sit next to her and inch closer and closer to her, but frankly she didn't give a damn. She was feeling cold and tired, as always. Aoshi must have sensed it, because he placed his right arm over her shoulders and pulled her closer. She was feeling so confused! Why was he holding her? Why was he caressing her and touching her that way? He had never been one for touches and sorts, so why was he acting as if he cared for her? As if he… loved her? And her head felt so heavy and sore! It was all so confusing. Maybe she had already fallen asleep and all those sweet feelings and Aoshi's touches were only part of one marvelous dream.

"Am I asleep, Aoshi?" She asked him, with a rough voice.

"No, sweet one. You're still in the car, going home after a brave fight. Just let Aoshi take care of you for now. You'll be in bed in an instance." Oh, it had to be a dream! He was acting so sweet and nice. Well he had been acting more or less like that over the last days and she had been feeling kind of guilty about the way she acted towards him, once in a while. Sometimes she had to force her brain to remind her why she felt so enraged towards him, or was supposed to feel. His eyes looking kindly at her, his hands moving over her skin… his mere presence set her off. And to think she had convinced herself that she didn't love him anymore. How could someone be so wrong? He had never been supplanted. As a matter of fact, she never believed herself to see his equal! She had meant to forget him, and believed it to be done. She had imagined herself indifferent, when she had only been angry.

She felt him clean the dry blood off her face and she knew… she had to make sure this time he wouldn't escape her. She knew a man like him was one in a million, especially today, and she was not going to let him go like the last time. Back then she had been a child and had given up after one battle without finishing the war. She smiled faintly. Round two was arriving and she was going to win it.

Misao placed her right arm around his neck and pulled him closer to her face. Her lips came near to his ear.

"Thank you, Aoshi-sama." It was the first time she called him that and she hoped he would notice it. By the tightening of his hold on her it appeared he did. His cheek touched hers and she felt him kiss it. He was shaking a bit.

"I've missed you so much, Misao." He said, with a passionate voice. "Your mere presence completes me." Aoshi had understood that the return of the 'sama' at the end of his name meant forgiveness and that she was his again. It needed no explanation, it was their knowledge of each other that made them understand without words.

Misao moved her head back a bit, as if daring him to kiss her. He accepted the dare and his lips came crashing upon her mouth with the fire that had been locked inside him for years now. She opened her mouth for him and felt his hot tongue enter it and run around inside it, taking his time, as if to know everything there. Misao's hand grabbed his hair and moved around, to feel its texture. At the same time, Aoshi's hands were caressing her bare back and nape. The feel of the diamond necklace around her soft skin didn't feel as good to Aoshi as it had some hours before. Now he just wanted to feel her skin all over her body, with nothing between them. Misao broke the kiss to breathe and then started kissing his neck and jaw line. He just let his head fall back and enjoy the feeling. He had her!

To them the trip lasted only five minutes, when Monty stopped the car and they looked around, trying to locate themselves. Aoshi looked at the front of the car and was relieved to see that the dark glass between them and Monty had been closed all the time. He had forgot all about it in the heat of Misao's kisses. Speaking of Misao… Aoshi looked at her and was amazed when he found her sleeping soundly at his side. She had been so tired that, when their kisses had ended, she had simply continued her dream night in dreams. She seamed pleased though, for she had a smile on her full lips. When Monty opened a door, Aoshi picked Misao in his arms and carried her inside.

He called a maid to dress her, after placing her over her bed, and left when she entered. He instructed the young girl not to wake Misao up and to cover her after she had been dressed. Aoshi walked to his living room and filled himself a cup of sake. He wanted to celebrate! After all that time regretting his actions and feeling lonely, Aoshi finally felt complete, with everything he wanted. He emptied the cup in one gulp and then move to his room. If asked he wouldn't be able to say when he fell asleep, because as soon as he hit the pillow his memory, mind and imagination mixed and he had a night fill with Misao dreams.

* * *

Misao woke up the next day with a soft touch in her face. Something smooth like velvet was moving around her face, daring her to opened her eyes. The previous night came rushing to her mind, but Misao couldn't tell reality from dreams, so she was reluctant to open her eyes.

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty." That voice couldn't be mistaken for no other. Maybe some part of the previous night had been real, because Aoshi wouldn't just enter her room in the morning and wake her up like that, if something hadn't happened. Misao opened her eyes and smiled at him. He looked like a small kid waiting for Santa to come and open the presents, but he was waiting for her. He looked frankly happy, with a red rose in his hand and a smile in his face. "I was wondering how long would it take for you to wake up. The morning has been a total drag without you." Misao must've done a strange face, because Aoshi moved back a bit and became a bit pale. "What?" He asked, with a shaky voice.

"Nothing. It just that I'm not very sure if yesterday was real." She said, with an 'I'm sorry' look.

"Well, we kissed and when we got here you fell asleep in the car." He noticed her relieved look and a small blush covering her cheeks. "Why? Did you dream something that you'd like to add?" She couldn't help but laugh. "Well, if you wish for something more." Aoshi suggested, with raised eyebrows.

"Right now, I want to have breakfast." Aoshi smiled and moved away, only to return with a tray.

"Here it is, your Highness." After he set the tray over her legs, he gave her the rose and sat near her, just watching her eat. "So, did you sleep well?" He asked. Misao swallowed the orange juice and nodded. "What do you want to do today?"

"Didn't you have a meting at your office?" She asked.

"I already had it, Misao." He answered, with a smile. "Do you know what time it is?" She shook her head. "It's two o'clock in the afternoon. Are you always this tired after an Awakening?"

"Pretty much. But tonight was just to good to wake up." She teased.

"Oh, really? Even if it meant to wake up to this?" He asked, before kissing her. Once again the kiss was fill with yearning and love. His hand came resting below her breasts, to balance himself, and hers circled his neck, bringing him closer to her. This time she had no necklace, so Aoshi dropped small kissed down her neck, until he reach the hole at the base of it. Misao's head fell back and her hands dug themselves in his hair. One of her nightgown's straps had already fallen and Aoshi's lips went on kissing her shoulder. Misao knew she should stop him. Everything was just going so fast! But at that moment, she was merely a piece of feeling flesh and she couldn't even think rational, let along talk to tell him to stop. Her hand moved down his back and grabbed a handful of his black shirt. She felt him bite her shoulder and she groaned. "Hum… you taste nice." Aoshi murmured.

He moved closer, to place his other hand over her right shoulder, when the forgotten tray between the two of them fell and both of them had orange juice all over their clothes. Aoshi moved back and that was enough to awake Misao from whatever state she was. She pushed him back and got out of bed.

"Look, Aoshi, I really think we should that this a little slower, don't you?" Misao asked, looking out the window. It was a shiny day and outside the servants were brushing two or three horses.

"Is this to quick for you?" He asked, with an emotionless voice, like the old Aoshi.

"Yes, I do." She turned around and saw he was looking at her. "Do you find this normal?" She asked, already knowing that this would lead to the conversation she had been fearing since meeting him again, the 'why did you said no to me' conversation.

"This, what?" He asked.

"This! You say you don't love me, all those years ago, then you don't even care enough to talk to me after that. Then when we see each other again and I had a peachy life, you act all loving and nice to me and then we kiss out of the blue. And now you expect me to understand any of this?" She was practically screaming by the end. Aoshi got up and crossed the room, to lay his hands over her shoulders.

"Calm down, Misao. What is happening is very simple to understand. I have long ago decided that my attitude towards you was wrong, for two reasons. One, the mere way I acted was extremely heartless. Two, because I understood something, while you were gone, that I had no idea." He said with his calm voice.

"And that was?"

"I loved you. I love you and I'll always will. If back then the thought of living those years without you was unbearable, then living an eternity without you is heart shattering. Do you understand now?"

To say Misao was speechless, was an understatement. Her eyes were wide with wonder and her jaw was slightly hanging. She had NOT expected that answer, she always managed to expect the worst when it came to Aoshi. How was she to expect him to do a full blown declaration? Aoshi observed her face and couldn't help but smile at her circumstance.

"If you wish to go through this the slower way, it can be done. I understand." Aoshi caressed her face and took a lock of her hair in his fingers. "Now, go get ready. I think we'll like riding a bit, don't you? I know you ride well and the horses haven't been ride in a while."

* * *

"You are not in control of all this, you Czech fuck!" Timon's rough voice ran through the entire room. "If you ever feel the need to… what was it? Oh, yeah! Get even, go hit a pillow or something. Or arrange and plan your own gig and than ruin it, do you get that?"

Nicolai made a face, but nodded. The truth was that he didn't need no one telling him he had screwed up royally. He already knew and he hardly understood how he had managed to get out of that fight with his head. According to the plan, he was supposed to stay and wait in the van, but the thought of missing the death of those two was too much for him.

The only good thing out of it all was that none of them knew who he was. He could return to Tokyo and phone Saitoh everyday, pretending he was very worked up with the fact that Misao had been gone for days. Just the thought of them made his blood boil. He had never said to no one, apart from Timon, what made him hate them so much, especially Shinomori. It was a very old story… well, maybe not that old for Immortals.

__

Flashback…

It was the year 1899 and the Russian winter was starting to make his way inside Nicolai's bones. Even after living in Russia for eight years, Nicolai had never gotten used to the harsh winter of Saint Petersburg. His own country, that for some might seem cold, was the Caribbean Islands compared to Russia during winter. And for a man that was returning from a country like France, the difference was even greater!

Nicolai had been in Marseilles, in the south of France, for two months and a half, because of his title of duke. As a duke for Alexander III, Czar of Russia, he had been forced to go to France and negotiate a treaty with some politicians. Well, he shouldn't be complaining! He was, after all, returning two weeks earlier. He hadn't told anyone he was returning sooner, because he wanted to surprise his wife.

As an Immortal, Nicolai hadn't had many women through his long life, because he was afraid he would be heart broken when they died. He had promised himself that it he married it would be with an Immortal, but then he had met Polina, his current wife, and the duchess. She had amazed him with her clear blue eyes and golden, long hair. She was the kind of woman that got along with everyone and laughed a lot and she was extremely clever.

His carriage stopped outside his house and two of the servants that had traveled with him carried his suitcases, while the front door opened and the housekeeper came running outside.

"Oh, God! The Duke was only expected in two weeks!" She said, with a loud voice and a red face. Nicolai didn't like her much, but she had been Polina's maid and she had brought her along when she married.

"So what? Can't a come to my house when I want to?" He answered and moved inside, with the housekeeper close to his heels. He took his winter coat off and moved to his wife room.

"Where is the Duke going?" The irritating housekeeper asked.

"I'm going to see my wife. Do I have to explain anything to you?"

"N-no, sir." She said, with a pale face.

"Then shut up and stop following me." He turned around and restarted walking.

"The Duchess isn't home." The little woman said. Just when Nicolai was turning around, to ask where she could be, a loud scream was heard. He knew that voice, it was his wife's voice. By the ash color that came to the housekeeper's face he could very well guess what Polina was doing to scream like that. Nicolai ran up the stairs, while the screams got louder, and opened his wife's door, just in time to see her orgasm in another man's arms. Just when he opened the door and looked, he felt that sick feeling that another Immortal was close by. He saw his wife's lover look up and their eyes met. The man had strange oriental blue eyes and in a stupid thought Nicolai wondered how an oriental had such ice blue eyes.

Nicolai stood there, looking at his wife that hadn't yet recovered to fully understand that was going on and just laid there with her legs spread. The other man however, jumped off of her and looked from her to Nicolai. His eyes were almost closed when he asked Polina, with a perfect Russian even if it had accent:

"Who is this man, Duchess?" Nicolai would never forget that cold voice, that chess crisscrossed with scars and that he was face to face with another Immortal. Nicolai's cold blood returned to him.

"This man is her husband, the Duke. And who, may I ask, is the man that has been fucking my wife?" He asked, with pure hatred in his voice. Polina had finally returned to the land of the living and was now looking at the two men, with fear in her pretty face.

"You never told me you were married, duchess." The man said, with a cold voice, but Nicolai could see he was mad at his wife. Hell, who was he to stay mad at her? He was her true husband, not that oriental guy.

"I repeat myself, who are you?" Nicolai asked.

"I am Shinomori Aoshi and I come from Japan. I beg your pardon, but your… wife told me she was a widow." Aoshi said, while putting his clothes on. Polina jumped out of bed and faced her lover.

"Oh, please! You've been in the Russian court for a moth and a half and you say you didn't know I was married?!" She said, trying to clear her face and direct all of Nicolai's anger to Aoshi.

"I do not pay attention to little talk among rich and futile people." Aoshi walked around Polina and bowed to Nicolai that was still in a daze. "I'm sorry, but I truly did not know."

Nicolai had let him go, because he could clearly see that his wife had been to blame. When he heard the front door close, he couldn't help himself: he stepped closer to his wife and slapped her face, hard. Her face had been red, not only because of the slaps but also because of pure rage at being caught. So she did the last thing she should've done: she taunted.

"At least he can fuck me senseless! Not like you, that can't even satisfy a virgin. At least I've found what is like to screw a real man!"

Everything after those words was a blur to Nicolai. He could make out some images of him on top of her, with her screaming for help. But no one came for her. Nicolai knew he had raped her at least two or three times that afternoon. When he was over, he stood up.

"I hope that was enough for you, whore." Nicolai said, not even looking at her bloodied body. "I will be leaving tomorrow. I will take everything, except I will leave you this house, so you can receive your lovers."

And he had left the next day, never to set foot in Russia again.

End flashback

Nicolai's hands turned into fists and he felt his heart beat rapidly. He had changed his appearance completely after that one, if only to forget the man he had been. How he regretted not killing that son of a bitch! He had felt good about his choice not to for sometime, until another incident involving the man happened. And, even if it wasn't with his wife, it cut his self esteem a bit more.

__

Flashback

He had been in London for some months now and he felt like he had made the perfect choice. He was loving the town, it was a good place to escape all the fuss running around Europe, and he had met a great lady. She was truly a lady, Misao. He had always had a defense wall against Japanese people after the 'Polina affair', but she had simple disarmed him. They had become friends and after some weeks she had finally let him inside her room.

He was there now, looking at her talking about a book. She was dressed in a blue silk robe and had her hair loose. She looked good enough to eat. He moved a little closer to her and kissed her neck. She laughed a little.

"Nicolai, please! I'm trying to have a conversation here." She said, with an annoyed voice. But he kept kissing her and she eventually dropped the book and kissed him back, while his hands moved inside her robe. Good, she wasn't wearing anything under it. He opened his pants and placed her over his lap. On any other day he would've taken a bit more time warming her up, but he had been waiting for two hours now. He licked her left breast and pulled her to his erected pole. She arched her neck back and groaned. Nicolai was surprised, she was usually such a silent lover. It was rare for her to utter one groan before her orgasm. So he decided to do her real good that time. He grabbed her hips and shoved inside her with his full strength.

After five minutes Nicolai came and, just as he shoved inside her for the last time, Misao came. But what she said was what made his blood froze in his veins. She didn't say, actually, she screamed.

"AOSHI!" That was it. She screamed that man's name loud and clear.

End Flashback

What had enervated him was that she didn't even realize she had said another man's name. After that time she had said it again three times. Then the war started and Nicolai had used that excuse to get himself rid of her. He felt so humiliated! Like a used piece of meat. And it was always that man. He had been certain it was the same man when he had caught a very old photo of that same Japanese, with icy eyes and cool attitude. He had asked Misao who that man was, to have her blush like a idiot and utters, while taking the photo from his hands, "It was my first master, Aoshi-sama."

Oh, how he hated them! The both of them! He had sworn to himself he would kill at least one of them. So, when Diego, an old friend of his, called him telling him the plan, he had introduced Misao to them. He had been surprised when they told him they had turned had into an Immortal. Then he had connected Misao and had convinced her to return to Japan, so he could kill both of them.

And now he had failed!

* * *

Misao's day was going great! She had been riding with Aoshi for two hours, then they had stopped near a lake to kiss and hug a bit, and then they had returned. Now, after a cozy dinner, they were in his room, watching a British movie called Snatch, wrapped in his sheets. It couldn't get better!

She felt Aoshi's hand move down her leg and his lips kissing her forehead. She moved her eyes away from the large TV and kissed his hot lips. His hands caressed her body, while his tongue caressed her mouth. She was right, it couldn't get better! The kiss ended after they had ran out of breath and both smiled at each other. Inside that room, in that mansion, and surrounded by happiness and loved, nothing could go wrong.

"I love you, Misao."

"I love you too, Aoshi."

* * *

Well, I have so much to say about this chapter, let's see if I don't forget everything!

First thing: I don't know many sword moves, so my fights will be as small as they can, because I know long fights tend to annoy people and they just pass them.

Second thing: I know Aoshi may seem OOC, but the good thing about this story his that, because of all those years, I can pretty much do what I want with Aoshi. Don't get me wrong, I'll put him doing something ridiculous and completely OOC, because I love Aoshi's character and I know you don't wish to see him humiliated.

Third thing: All those flashbacks were necessary, yes. When I introduce Nicolai I had no intention of making him one of the bad guys. I was, quite frankly, just an excuse to get Misao in Japan again. And, since I may have confused some people in my last chapter I felt I needed to explain fully what were his reasons for such hatred. Even so, I feel he doesn't need to feel so bad about such little things! Geez…

Fourth thing: I will have to change the rating because of the second flashback, but I already intended to do a lemon chapter in the end. I understand you feel it is a crappy lemon, but I wanted you to understand that what is important there is the end and I wasn't all that motivated to write a lemon between Misao and a guy I can't stand (even if he is my creation). So, I hope you'll forgive my crappy lemon lines.

Fifth thing: IMPORTANT! This chapter hasn't been reviewed by my pre-reader, because she hasn't been in contact with me. I do hope nothing serious has happened to her. ::Please be well, Moon!:: So, if anyone would like to review my next chapters I would be extremely grateful. If so, please contact me in my e-mail.

I think I've said it all, so JA!

MaRiAnA


	11. Look, he disappeares in Kyoto and comes ...

****

Hi! So, here it is my new chapter of the crossover. I'm already working on the next chapter. I've been on exams and they are still not over, so this took a little longer. But as soon as I get on vacations I'll work harder on my fics.

* * *

Disclaimer: Aoshi, Misao and Saitoh aren't mine. I just used them for a while to entertain myself.

* * *

Even through eternity

Chapter 9

It wasn't that Saitoh was missing him or that he was preoccupied with the guy. The man could bloody well do whatever came to his mind. Hell, he could bloody well kill himself, for all he cared! But he could at least have left a note saying where he was going, or that he was leaving in the first place! So, Saitoh now sat in his leather chair, smoking one of his cigarettes, thinking about the phone call he would have to make, informing Misao that her dearest friend, Nicolai, had just disappeared off of the face of earth. He exhaled a cloud of smoke while dialling Aoshi's mansion in Tokyo.

After three rings a serious voice, whichSaitoh recognised as Aoshi's butler, Shirai**,** answered the call. 

"Shinomori-san's mansion, this is Shirai speaking." Said the dignified butler.

"This is Saitoh." Saitoh answered in his turn.

"Ah! Saitoh-san, Shinomori-san has expressed his wish to speak with you." That was one of the things Shirai always told him, that Aoshi wanted to talk to him. Saitoh was starting to believe that the butler told him such to remind him that he hadn't been forgotten. "Please hold on a few moments while I call the Master."

He could make out the sound of the phone being laid on the table and the rustle of fabric, then after two minutes Aoshi picked up the phone.

"Ohayo Saitoh. What news do you have?" Aoshi asked and Saitoh could almost hear a smile in the man's happy voice. If Saitoh hadn't known with whom Aoshi was living, he might have made a comment about men that got laid, after years of celibacy. 

"Just called to tell you and weasel that her friend Nicolai has vanished." That would wipe the smile off his face.

"What? When did you realise this?" 

"Well, first he stopped calling me to ask if I had news about Misao and then, the afternoon before yesterday, I went to the apartment and it was empty. His clothes were gone. The only things there, are Misao's clothes and a pile of dirty dishes that the slob left."

Aoshi digested the information. This disappearance was just too sudden and it had to have a cause behind it. Aoshi was certain the man had been secure, that no one knew about his evolvement in all that was going on. But Timon had know about them and had seen pictures of Misao running around that corpse in Kyoto, so maybe they had known about him after all. But what would they gain from kidnapping him? Well, he could very well be dead, but then why conceal the body? What they would have done would be to expose the body, to show their superiority. Maybe the guy just gotsick of waiting for information. One, he could have left for Prague again, or two, had decided to summon information himself.

"What do you think happened to him?" Aoshi asked, after some moments of silence.

"Well, there are no signs of struggle in the apartment and I don't think a guy that gets killed takes his clothes with him. So, we have little choices. HH

hHHe either left for his dear old city; or he decided to look for Misao, but that shouldn't mean he would have to leave the apartment, so I would disregard that one. Another possibilityis thathe isn't what we thought he was." Saitoh answered, leading Aoshi to his conclusions. "We always knew the guy wasn't exactly Mr. Brave. You've never met him, but he'smore worried with Misao than he should be. I told him she was alright, but he kept questioning me, about her. I never did like him, I just hope he isn't one of those double-crossing types! I love to kill those guys."

"And if he is, what do you think he has been doing here since the beginning?" Aoshi asked.

"Well, he was the only way to get Misao here, so this pretty much fell in his lap, but maybe he just grabbed the chance and made the best out of it." Aoshi could hear Saitoh puffing his cigarette on the other side of the line.

"And why would he want to do anything to Misao? As far as we know she has done nothing wrong to him and she fully trusts him. Why would he want anything to do with those guys?"

"Well, Aoshi, he was her lover. Ex-lovers always have some history left uncovered. And as for Misao trusting, that girl would trust Darth Vader, for Christ sake!" Saitoh answered. "Well, I don't want to stay here all day, making up situations. I'm going to try and access the Watchers web and check out the guy's history, in detail this time."

"Speaking of Watchers," Aoshi said " my team found some photos of a Watcher, shooting two Immortals during a fight. It appears they have been trying to stop the fights, but only the fair ones. Apparently they made a deal with that group of back-stabbing Immortals, because they don't meddle in their fights and the Watchers assigned to watch them have been missing or have been found dead."

"Where did you find that, Aoshi? Is that contact of yours on the inside?" Saitoh got no answered, just a quick goodbye and then the line went dead. "How nice!"

Misao woke up with a maid opening the curtains, letting the bright sunlight enter the room. She tried to turn around and drown in Aoshi's warmth, like she had done the entire night before. But he wasn't there anymore and Misao had no problems realizing he had left her hours ago to work. She couldn't be all that angry with him, after all he had spent the entire previous day with her, riding and talking.

But there, on his pillow where his head had laid some hours before, now lay a beautiful blue rose. Since she was little she had always harboured a preference for blue and purple roses, but she didn't know that he knew until the day before that one.

The maid had started to walk around, collecting the trays of food they had left on the floor and opened the windows to let the pure air inside. Misao could see, when she got out of bed only dressed in a flimsy night-gown, what were the maid's thoughts about what she and Aoshi had done the previous night. In fact, they had kissed a lot and things hadn't got out of hand because Aoshi remembered her wish to take their relationship slowly. Damn him!, Misao cursed, with an ironic smile. She still remembered his hard, but gentle hands caressing her body and his lips on her neck and shoulders. And those eyes! Those eyes burning in her skin, like hot coal. But, even after they stopped their activities, Misao hadn't been able to escape Aoshi's caresses and his ever-present hand just below her breasts, all night.

The maid left the room and Misao went into her bathroom to have a shower. She felt kind of guilty for taking Aoshi's prints off her skin, as well as his smell, but she made a promise to herself to get them back when she saw him again. Misao had to admit she was completely addicted to that man! She couldn't wait to spend her eternity with him. Misao turned off the water and stepped out of the tub. She decided to leave her hair down and to dress extra special for him, that day. Misao opened her huge closet and looked inside. She chose a pair of white pirate pants, with slits on the sides, a purple top, that left nothing to the imagination and a pair of high heals sandals. Over the years, she had learned how to use her image. Even if she would never have one of those bodies that stopped the traffic, she now knew that, with the right clothes and attitude, she could catch the attention of those she wanted to. Adrien had first taught her that her femininity was a weapon that she should use and not hide or underestimate.

Misao exited her room and made her way to the stairs, where she found Shirai giving orders to a maid. When he saw her though, he stopped and smiled at her, showing her he was at her disposal.

"Makimachi-san, good morning. I trust you had a good night?" Shirai asked, with a knowingsmile. Misao couldn't help but smile back at him.

"Hai, Shirai-san. Could you please tell me where Aoshi is?"

"Shinomori-san is now in his office, going over some papers. But he asked me to tell you he is waiting for you." When Misao thanked him, he turned around and continued speaking with the maid. Misao got to Aoshi's office and knocked on the door.

"Yes? Come in." Misao entered the room and smiled at Aoshi. "Ah! You're finally awake." Misao crossed the room and circled his table, to kiss him on the lips. After just a couple of moments she was sitting on his lap, her legs tossed over his armchair. "Misao," he said, when he finally stopped kissing her "Saitoh called and, apparently, you friend Nicolai is gone." Misao opened her eyes in alarm.

"Gone? What do you mean gone? Did he return to Prague?" She asked.

"I don't know and neither does Saitoh. He just packed his belongings and left." Aoshi answered. He didn't want to admit it, but he was kind of jealous of her concern over that guy. "But I'm sure nothing bad happened to him, because he did leave with his clothes and sorts." Misao nodded.

"What is Saitoh doing to find him?" She asked.

"Nothing, that I know of." He watched her do a surprise gesture. "Misao, he disappeared off of the face of the earth, the day before yesterday! And Saitoh is up to his head in work and so are we. Antonio managed to get us the address of that mulatto Sarah killed and I want you to go over there with me."

"What?! Aoshi, he is my friend, I can't just leave him wherever he is. He might be dead or near dead!" She got out of his lap and stared wandering around the room.

"Saitoh and I agreed that it is very unlikely that he is dead. If they had killed him, they would have shown us his body." He answered, while getting up too. "Now, will you came with me to that guy's house or not? If you want, I can get you a plane ticket to Kyoto and you'll be there in two hours. I just don't promise you'll find him that easily." Aoshi said, with a cold voice. It was obvious that he was upset about all the 'Nicolai stuff'. Misao looked at him, with a sorrowful look.

"I'm sorry, Aoshi. You're right. Even if he has been kidnapped, I have no lead**s** or anything at all. We better work on what we do have." Misao said, placing her head on his chest. Aoshi recognised that move as a peace offering and couldn't help but be reminded of the old Misao, always going out of her ways not to upset or hurt him. Aoshi kissed the top of head and hugged her briefly.

"Well, in that case we'll have a small lunch and then we'll go. Is that alright with you?" Aoshi had decided not to tell Misao about Saitoh's mistrust in Nicolai. She trusted the man and, if she heard that, she might get totally pissed off at Saitoh.

"Yes, it's alright." She got on the tip of her toes and kissed him lightly on his lips.

Aoshi decided to take a more inconspicuous car this time and settled for a dark blue Mercedes. Even after he had calmed her down and along with the help of the leather seats and soft music, Aoshi could still feel Misao's anxiety. He took his right hand off the steering wheel and placed it on her thigh. She seemed to relax down a bit more and placed her own hand over his.

He stopped the car ata red light and looked at her. The calm voice of The Wallflowers' singer was in the background and they couldn't help but get closer and closer, until they were kissing. As most of their kisses were, this one was filled with passion and need. They only woke up from their own heaven, when the car behind honked. Aoshi looked ahead and got the car moving again, but his right hand remained on her thigh.

After five minutes driving across downtown Tokyo, Aoshi stopped the blue Mercedes in front of a small private condo. The main gate was opened and anyone could see the large garden greeting the person that entered. There was a small trail, but the rest was just grass and huge trees and flowers. Aoshi looked at it, from inside the car and then decided to park on the nearest corner**, **and after both of them got out, they parted ways. Aoshi headed inside the condominium and Misao was supposed to stay inside the coffee shop across the street.

Misao sat at a table right next to the large window and after half a minute an adolescent waiter approachedher with a small notepad. She asked for an espresso and picked up a newspaper that was laying over the table, but kept an eye on the other side of the street. After Aoshi entered, everything looked very calm. The only person surrounding the perimeter had been an old lady that had left the condominium. Her espresso came quick enough and Misao continued her pretence of reading the newspaper. She even went so far as to look at the people passing through in cars, to see if anyone had seen them entering the guy's house. 

Aoshi crossed the garden in ten large steps, looking around trying to locate the house and to see if someone was watching. Close condominiums usually don't have new faces and everyone knew each other, especially on the small ones. He looked at the windows, but he couldn't see anyone behind the curtains. Well, it was still very early in the afternoon, so most people should be at work.

Finally he located the house he was looking for, number 31. Outside,it looked like any other house: a green painted door, with a golden doorknocker, large windows with white frame and light blue curtains. Aoshi looked behind him again and, when he made sure no one was watching him, circled the house and forced open the lock of the backdoor. He slowly opened the door and looked inside to what looked like a kitchen. It had the usual utensils a kitchen has and over the table were still the leftovers of a meal of some sort. Aoshi started opening the closets, looking for something out of place or uncommon**, **butfoundnothing besides the normal kitchen appliances.

Aoshi walked out of the kitchen and entered a living room. There were only three one-person couches,but they were old and bits of pizza could still be seen over one of them. On the coffee table lay a TV Guide and a used glass. The room didn't have much furniture, just the essentials. Next to the large window, that Aoshi had seen from the front, was a round table, with photos carelessly thrownover it. Aoshi glossed over the pile**,** and from the middle of them all, found one of Misao kneeling next to a grave. The other pictures were of a guy with dark brown hair, tall and skinny. Looking more closely at him Aoshi could swear he had seen him somewhere before. But where? He grabbed one of the photos and placed it in his pocket. When Aoshi turned, to move to another part of the house, his eyes caught sight of a row of white powder. Apparently the Brazilian had been taking a sniff before leaving the house. At the back of his brain Aoshi asked himself if an Immortal was capable of zoning out, or if the body healed itself right after. Aoshi dipped his pinkie in the powder and took it to his mouth, only to spit it out again.

"The guy should be happy he was Immortal! Any mortal guy who sniffed this shit would O.D in no time." He whispered to no one, blowing the powder away.

He moved to the hall and entered the room just in front, which turned out to be the sleeping room. As if not to contrast with the rest of the house, the bed covers were all over the floor and, to Aoshi's utter disgust, he saw two used condoms lying there as well. Besides the bed, there was only a chest of drawers, but Aoshi didn't really wish to look inside them. Only Kami knew what could come out of them! So the only rooms left were the bathroom, which Aoshi didn't care much, and another one, that turned out to be a study.

Aoshi opened the first drawer on the secretary and found a little black book, which by the looks of it was one of those with female addresses and phone numbers in it. Aoshi picked it up, as well as a gold chain laying besides it. On the second drawer he found four joints and another thing that looked like acid. Aoshi's eyes widened, the guy was a real junk! Next to them, however, was laying another small phone book, but this one also had guys numbers and, to Aoshi's happiness, he found the numbers of people like Diego, Timon, etc. Finally something productive. Then, just out of curiosity, Aoshi looked in A, to see if they had his number, but they hadn't. Then he looked up Mand found the strangest entry:

__

Misao (Nicolai's) – 24896125

Before he had time to think what they meant by that or even look up in the N, he felt an Immortal come close to the house. Aoshi looked around and hid between a large cupboard and the wall.

Misao was still in the middle of her espresso, for she was trying to make it last. Truth be told, she was becoming bored out of her mind and Aoshi had entered the condominium just two minutes before. She was starting to believe she should've gone with him. Sure, one of those lousy Immortals might show up, to pick something up, but they could take him. Well, on second thought**,** a fight in the middle of downtown Tokyo, in the middle of the day, wasn't exactly what they needed.

So, with nothing better to do and with the paper read, Misao stared at the street and started wondering where the heck Nicolai had gone? Sure she hadn't been very nice to him. She had disappeared and then when she called him, she hadn't said much, had she? But she found it strange that he had gone back to Prague. After all he had been the one to drag her back to Japan. She didn't know why but she felt like something was out of place, like something that she was supposed to know was escaping her. What could be giving her that impression?

Then something happened. She didn't feel him or anything, after all he was on the other side of the street. But while she was pondering his whereabouts, Nicolai Mastny walked over to the condominium gate and, after checking around, walked inside.

"What the…?"

Whatever she was expecting to see, Nicolai Mastny entering the house of their enemy, wasn't it. What was he doing there? Had he followed her there? Maybe that had been the reason for his disappearance; he had gone searching for her. But how had he done it? How had he found her?And if that was the case, why was he walking around as if he were a followed man?

Without thinking twice about it, Misao rose, left money on the table for the coffee and a large tip and ran outside. She crossed the street, not even minding the cars, and entered the condominium too. She didn't even notice the garden, except when she had to hide behind one of the trees to see if Nicolai was somewhere in sight. But he was nowhere. Misao tried real hard to remember the address Aoshi had told her when they were driving there. She wouldn't have made it, if she hadn'tfollowed the sound of someone opening a door. She found the house just as Nicolai closed the door to enter.

She walked closer and checked to see if the door had been left open, but with no such luck. She was so close now that she could feel the presence of the two Immortals inside and they could probably feel her. So in a moment of brightness, Misao remembered that Aoshi must've opened the backdoor. So she circled the house and, just as expected, found the backdoor open. She entered a kitchen, just in time to hear Nicolai talk.

"Oi! Someone home? I can feel you, so might as well save me the time and show yourselves." The sound came from the nearest room. Once again, without thinking, Misao stepped inside the living room. Nicolai didn't see her right away, because he was looking into the hall, but he soon heard her.

"Do you mind telling me what the fuck are you doing here, Nicolai?" Misao asked. Nicolai turned around quickly and stared at her, as if she was the ghost of Christmas past. "Well?"

"Misao… hi!" He looked like a deer caught in the headlights of a car. She saw him look around, as if trying to remember something to say. Right there Misao discarded the chance of him being there to find her, but she still couldn't understand what he was doing there. "Well, well! You could've told me you were in Tokyo, Misao." Nicolai said, with a raspy voice and his eyes didn't seem capable of looking at her straight.

"As if you didn't know she was here." Aoshi's cold voice said behind them. Nicolai looked at him and Misao couldn't help but notice his tight fist and his glare at Aoshi. The situation was turning out really weird.

"What do you mean, Aoshi?" She asked him, trying to set everything straight. But Aoshi just looked at Nicolai, as if trying to remember something. Nicolai took turns looking at them both. Misao was amazed by the pure hatred his eyes carried. Then Aoshi stepped closer to her, moving around Nicolai, who moved back.

"So, you're Nicolai. Have you lost the title, Duke?" Aoshi asked, with the same cold voice. Misao looked at him, ** confused, but didn't have time to ask any questions because Nicolai threw himself at Aoshi, who in turn pushed her out of the way.

Misao fell over a small table and could hear the sound of glass breaking behind her. But she paid no attention. Her mind was frozen, while Aoshi defended Nicolai's attacks. It was clear Nicolai was out of control, because his attacks were the clumsiest she had ever seen. But it was also clear that Aoshi didn't want to kill him, even if he managed to wound him a bit and kick him.

Nicolai was fighting with two hands on the hilt and just took swings at Aoshi, as if trying to catch something. Aoshi just walked back and, from time to time looked at her to see how she was accepting all that. After a while, Aoshi got tired of that fight and managed to circle Nicolai and hit him in the nape, with the hilt of his katana. Nicolai fell on the floor unconscious. Misao got up from the floor and looked at both men.

"What the fuck just happened?" She asked Aoshi, who was cleaning the small stains of blood on his katana blade.

"Do you know who this man is, Misao?" Aoshi asked, walking over Nicolai towards her.

"He's Nicolai, my… friend. But why did he attack you?"

"Remember when I told you I had a lover in Russia?" Misao nodded. "Well, it appears that she was married. I didn't know at the time and I only found out when her husband walked in on us. He had been gone for some time and she had used that time to seduce me, and others I believe." Misao just looked at him, trying to understand whatall that had to do with Nicolai. "Well, the Duchess' husband was no other than this man, Nicolai."

"What?! That's impossible!"

"No, it's not. You only met him in London, some years later. I remember his face and he must remember mine too, because he attacked me just now and, I'm sorry, but he is the same guy that attacked me at the party. I recognised his style. Or lack of it."

Aoshi understood that it was all too much information for her all at once, but they had to move fast. They couldn't stay there, waiting for him to wake up and pick another fight. If they were going to fight, they had to do it somewhere isolated. But how could they take him there? They could drag him to their car, but someone might see them do it and he might wake up in the car and try to kill them there. Or they could leave him a note, setting a place and time, and he might be stupid enough to follow them there alone. Most probably he would appear with a "friend", but they had to take that chance.

Aoshi had to trust he would go there, so he picked a piece of paper and wrote the place and hour. After that, he dragged a dazed Misao out of the house and into the car. Once they were ready, Aoshi stepped on the gas and took them back to his house. When they arrived he prepared a drink for them and sat with Misao in his living room.

"I don't understand. If he recognised you, then he knew we were… acquaintances. He had seen a photo of you before, when he was with me in London." Misao said, taking a sip from her drink. "Look, Aoshi, I really can't believe he did all this!"

"I know it's hard, because you've known him for some time, but he is what I'm telling you. Think about it: he disappears a couple of days ago, a masked man appears at the party and…"

"No, it's just… why would he attack you for that affair you had such a long time ago?"

"I don't know, Misao. That time he let me go with no fight at all! I think at that time he understood that I had no idea she was married. Maybe something happened afterwards that made him change his mind."

"But what?" Just as Misao had asked that, the phone rang right next to Aoshi's chair. Aoshi picked it up and Misao could only sip her drink while he talked with whoever was on the phone. After five minutes, Aoshi hang up and looked at her.

"It was Saitoh. When he called me this morning he said he was going to check on Nicolai, to see if something suspicious appeared. It looks like he and that Diego guy you killed yesterday have been old friends. Look Misao, I left him a note setting up a meeting between us, tomorrow afternoon. You'll came with me and we'll find out what happened in that nut's head."

"Very well." Misao said.

For the rest of the day she just tried to remember something she had done or said, to make him hate her and Aoshi so much! But even if he had a good excuse, she couldn't forget that he had betrayed her and lied to her. Most likely, after all the explaining is finished**,** if he decided to fight Aoshi again, Nicolai would end up dead after tomorrow's meeting. 

* * *

So, I want to read lots of reviews or else you won't get the next chapter any soon. Kidding! No, it's ok. I hope you liked it. Next chapter Aoshi vs Nicolai…

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MaRiAnA


	12. 10 Teasing

God! Long time no see, un? Well, this chapter has been ready for… months really, but little ol' me was just plain lazy to correct it after it passed through my pre-reader. Speaking of which, Moon is back. And, ironic as it is, my other pre-reader is gone. My luck!

Well, I've already finished writing the next chapter, but I may have another laziness attack and not show it to you in two years or something, so I want lots and lots of reviews for this chapter, if you want to see the next!

  


Even through eternity

Chapter 10

          Aoshi got out of the shower and cleaned the steam on the mirror with a small towel. He dropped the towel and stared at the face in front of him. There were no lines surrounding his eyes, nor around his mouth. He didn't have a single white hair. Nothing new, right? After all he was an Immortal. So he had stayed in the same physical state he had been when he had first been killed. But the years had left its marks. In times likes this, when Aoshi stared at himself looking for something new in his face, he could remember himself back when he hadn't been an Immortal. He knew that for some it was hard to remember those times, but for him they were imprinted inside his head and chest. He would sometimes consider those few years to have been the happiest of his life. Just sometimes… because most of the time he would laugh at how that Aoshi seemed to think he knew the world and knew everything there was to know. That Aoshi, like any human who had the average life expectancy of 55 years (in that time, of course), had planned his life for that time, more or less. People made plans according to their time of life. A man that feels that he has 55/56 years of life makes slightly different plans from a man that can live for centuries.

          So, when he thought real hard about it, Aoshi had to laugh at what his former self thought relevant about the world. The easiest example was Misao. It was one of the hardest things for him to swallow when he thought what he had missed out on with Misao, because his former self thought that he could live on air and deep thoughts and because he thought Misao just wasn't the one. The one! Today Aoshi was divided into thinking he had been a stupid, egotistic fucker or a romantic, completely cut out from the rest of the universe. His former self thought that meditating all day, thinking about his sour life, would make peace with the gods and himself. When he had told Misao meditation had helped him, he hadn't been lying, but it hadn't given him what he had hoped it would. No peace came with meditation, only a numbness in the soul. And, when he found out about that numbness and looked around, he was alone with no family and no friends. And, most importantly, no Misao.

          That was the reason why he was looking at himself in the mirror, looking for changes. Something had to have changed! His soul was awake again. And it felt like it weighed as much as a feather. So it didn't come as a surprise when he caught his lips smiling at himself. He wasn't as stern as before. He smiled more or grinned, he didn't know what to call it. But he never smiled for nothing! He never walked around looking at flowers and the wonder of nature! He was feeling like a hippie. And the thing was that he had a duel in less than an hour. He was up to his neck in all that crap about Immortal gangs and corrupt Watchers and he didn't give a rat's ass about it! He was running over the clouds.

          "Aoshi, my old pal, you've got it bad." He said, smiling at the mirror. He grabbed his towel and wrapped it around his waist. He opened the bathroom door and walked out to his room. He was surprised to find Misao in the room looking out the window with a wineglass in her hand. She looked over her shoulder when he entered the room and smiled at him. After seeing his state of dress, she turned around.

          "I was going to say you have a great view from this window, but suddenly I just discovered something more worth watching." She said, obviously running her eyes over his chest. Whatever Aoshi had been expecting from her, it hadn't been that comment, for he looked pleased, but he had no idea what to say. Misao placed her wineglass on his nightstand and walked near him. He thought she was going to hug him, but she started walking around him. He then felt one of her fingers caress his spine from top to bottom. When it ended, the finger remained there right over his butt. "This is one of those moments when I'm happy about us being Immortals, because you certainly have lots of lines I wish to explore."

          He was still dripping and he felt her lips suck one drop dry. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He wouldn't mind if she dried him of all the water like that. But his plans were shattered when the finger that lay on his back started moving inside the towel and, after one or two seconds, Misao had ripped it from his waist.

          "You're still wet, Aoshi." She said, with a nasty tease voice. "We have to do something about that." She moved the towel over his back and worked very slowly.

          "Have I done something to earn me this… personal service?" Aoshi asked, fighting hard the urge to turn around and do her against the wall.

          "It's totally on the house, my lord. Trust me, I don't mind." The towel moved over his butt's right cheek. "At all."

          Aoshi really wanted to ask her what had happened to all her worry over Nicolai, but that would be a real turn off. He actually felt bad about the guy! He went insane because of his affair with his wife and after that discovery, Aoshi was in his mansion being dried up by Misao, Nicolai's ex-lover. And loving it. Well, he didn't really consider Misao Nicolai's ex-lover. She was simply Misao. The love of his life… the one that was platting kisses over his spine and going down on her knees to dry his legs.

          "Can you imagine, Aoshi?" Misao asked.

          "Imagine what?"

          "Imagine the times I daydreamed about this. About the day I would have the chance to know these lines and planes." She touched his right knee and kissed his thigh. "Don't go getting an enormous ego, but you always were really special. You always stuck out like a sore thumb." Aoshi thought best not to say a thing, not to make a sound, not even breath. Do not go and get an enormous ego, she said? Right. Okay Misao, try being dried up by a gorgeous, hot woman telling you you're great and see how your ego comes out of the shock.

          He felt her rise and walk up to his front. He knew she had realized the products of her actions but she looked up at his face. She placed the towel around his neck and pulled him to her.

          "How does it feel to be in every woman's, you know, wet dreams, Aoshi?" She asked with a smile.

          "I… I never really thought… about it." He answered.

          "Well, don't go getting any ideas. You're mine. I promise you, I'll be spending eternity over you, alright?"

          "No problem here." He said, still having problems thinking.

          "Great! Now clean up and dress. We have to meet Nicolai in twenty minutes." She gave him a peck on the cheek and left the room. But not before grabbing her wineglass. At that moment, Aoshi finally saw the product of having meditated for so many years. Otherwise he would have gone homicidal over that murderous tease. Aoshi had never felt more played then at that point and the irritating part was he didn't give a damn!

          "Yes, Aoshi, you've got it bad."

  


          Aoshi decided to take the blue Mercedes again, but he didn't decide whether he was pissed at Misao or not. She entered the car and talked to him as if nothing had happened. She had changed her clothes to black leather pants and a dark blue turtleneck. Aoshi approved of her choice, because white pants and a purple top didn't seem the clothes one should wear to a duel. She sat beside him, placed her dark glasses and changed the radio station. Then she looked at him.

          "We'll be late, Aoshi." She said, as a matter of fact. He woke up from his trance and started the car. He got caught up in simple things she did. So it was impossible for him to not be captured when she told him she would be spending her life exploring his body. This woman was a killer!

          Aoshi drove them out of town to the big estates part on the outskirts. He had set the meeting in a place where he had already fought two duels. So he was more or less playing on his grounds. The place was part of a huge abandoned property that had grass up to a person's thigh and garbage all over the place. It was totally abandoned. The road they were driving was also abandoned. Not one car was seen besides their own. All the estates had high walls, as if telling off any visits. There was no way neighbors there knew each other. They were completely isolated.

          Aoshi got them there in five minutes, which was the exact time they had planned to get there. Misao made a joke about him planning it. They got out of the car and looked around to see if anyone had got there before them. No one was in sight. The wind made the grass move, which made a funny noise that ran over the entire place. They sat on the car's hood waiting to see if anyone showed up.

          "That was some stunt you played on me today." Aoshi said, looking in front as if he were talking about the weather.

          "Was it? Did little old me scared big Aoshi?" She said, placing an arm around his shoulders.

          "I wouldn't say scare." He answer, turning around to met her face mere inches away from his. "If we didn't have this meeting you wouldn't have gotten out of that room, Misao." He said, before grabbing her face and kissing her. He wouldn't mind spending his days kissing her. Her lips were so soft and full! But he had to breathe and so did Misao. Just when they were starting their second kiss, they heard the sound of a car arriving. Nicolai had come after all!

          They saw a silver Nissan park some meters away from them. The passenger's door opened, and Nicolai stepped out of the car. In the driver's sit sat a guy they couldn't see, because of the lights. Aoshi immediately got off the hood and waited for Nicolai to come closer. But he didn't, he just looked at them from afar. Misao looked closely at his face.

          Looking back Misao couldn't say she actually knew Nicolai. They had been lovers for some time, and then they had lost contact for ages. Until he called her out of the blue. During the time they had been together, she hadn't truly been interested in knowing his history. They had been friends, with sex mixed with it. She just had the feeling she knew him better than she did, because their way of thinking had been alike. Or at least, it seemed to. He had been the perfect fling. So, why was he here, in the middle of nowhere, after her and Aoshi's ass? What had happened in the life of Nicolai Mastny to make him this pissed off at them?

          Those had been Misao's thoughts when Aoshi had been taking a shower and now, looking at Nicolai's face, they came back to her. His lips were set in an angry grimace, his nostrils flared up and his eyes seemed to want to kill Aoshi in a hundred million ways. She had first tried to explain his reasons, tried to justify him. But looking at him gave her no room from justifications. Now she craved for explanations. So she interrupted the silent between Aoshi and Nicolai.

          "Mind telling me what's going on, Nicolai?" She asked, still sitting on the hood of the car. Nicolai's eyes moved from Aoshi's face to hers. The hate in his eyes seemed to be replaced by despise. She had never seen him looking at her like that. Then he smirked.

          "Why is there any need for an explanation? This is merely a duel between an Immortal and another." He replied.

          "Cut the crap, Nicolai." She replied. "You were supposedly working with us. What happened to originate this turn of events?"

          "I just realized who was the winning team." He said. Misao looked at him, wondering if he really thought she was going to believe him. Aoshi, who had been leaning against the car, moved near her. "He won't tell us a thing, Misao." He whispered.

          "We were having a conversation, you lousy fucking prick!" Nicolai said, with anger clear in his voice. Aoshi looked at him and by the look on his face he seemed to be thinking. Then, Aoshi smirked and got even closer to Misao, caressing her face.

          "You know, Misao, we don't really need to hear him out. I can finish him in two seconds for you. What do you say to that?" Misao briefly wondered what the hell Aoshi thought he was doing, but when she caught sight of Nicolai's utter hate and anger in his face, she quickly understood the plan. Apparently, public demonstration of love between her and Aoshi didn't fit Nicolai very much. And maybe he would get mad enough to tell them something.

          "Aoshi, baby, I know you can do that. You're so strong and clever." Even in the middle of their predicament, Misao couldn't miss the amused glint in Aoshi's eyes. "But maybe he knows something." Aoshi gave her a peck in the cheek and smiled.

          "You're right love, as al—"

          "Shut up! Both of you, disgusting mother-fucking bastards!" Nicolai screamed. "You stand there and think you're on the good side. That you're the good ones, fighting for justice! Both of you are backstabbing sons of bitch! Mister Perfect Aoshi sleeps with other people's wives and thinks he can get out of it, as if nothing happened. Miss Virgin Misao acts all proper and all and thinks she's so much better than everyone, but when she finally lets a guy do her, she screams another guy's name at the top of her lungs!"

          "What?" Misao asked. Aoshi, at that moment, could only look at Nicolai with as much hate as the last had showed before. He couldn't help but hate the guy just by hearing those things about Misao. If he could, he would like to keep the mental images of Misao having sex with another guy out of his mind.

          "Do you know, Mister Perfect? Do you know this bitch screams your name every time she's doing it?" Nicolai stopped to gather his breath. "I mean, I can let one time pass, but two? I mean, you have to be a really good screw, man!" He then started to laugh hysterically. After this, Misao couldn't look Aoshi in the face and neither could Aoshi. Neither one of them knew what to think.

          "And this is the reason you want to kill us?" Misao asked. "I mean, do you think it's worth it?" Nicolai stopped laughing and looked at them. Then he reached inside his coat and laid hold of his sword.

          "Trust me, it is."

          Then he launched at Aoshi, who had his katana ready. Misao quickly got off of the hood to follow the fight closely. She realized Nicolai had to be totally enraged or mad, because his skill had nothing on Aoshi's. He had started a fight where his goal was to kill his adversary, but now he was fighting for survival. But Aoshi wasn't exactly cool for a fight, he was clearly enraged at Nicolai's comments. He had already managed to wound Nicolai's neck and leg badly. When suddenly Misao felt another presence behind her. Before she could turn around and lay hold of her katana, she was wounded in the back. It was a clean cut, from the top to the low of her back.

          She turned around to see the Japanese guy from Nicolai's group, holding a bloodied sword. He launched at her, but she jumped to her right, while seizing hold of her katana. She rose and deflected another attack with the katana's sheath, while her katana cut his left arm.

  


          When the muscles strain, they need oxygen. So the heart beats much quicker to take blood to those same muscles, which in turn will    get oxygen to them. Experienced sportsmen and trained people are able to avoid that drawback. After much exercise, they manage to get their body used to that strain. But in sports, as in a fight, there are many points that must be taken into account, for they matter almost as much, or the same, as a hard training.

          Some common realities are nervousness, disease or, of course, lack of concentration. Why am I dwelling on this matter, you ask? Well, after making sure you know all this, I'll know for certain that you understand when I say that the fight Aoshi was at that moment battling, wasn't one of the easiest. No, his adversary wasn't especially bright or strong. He wasn't tired, nor sick, nor even nervous. He was, pure and simple, totally and utterly enraged. Aoshi, Mr. Cool, was as mad as he didn't remember ever being.

          He didn't know anymore if making Nicolai mad had been all that bright of an idea, because he ended up just as mad! In the end, they were on equal grounds, except for the skill. No matter how mad Shinomori Aoshi became, fighting and the way of the sword was so engraved in him, that most of it came naturally to him. He had been learning how to fight since he could walk, and even in a crazy state of mind, he would know how to survive. He was a fighter after all!

          When that thought crossed his mind, he managed to win back some of his mind. During that period of clarity, he knew even before he looked, that Misao was engaged in a battle, like himself. Before he looked, before he heard her sounds, he felt another heartbeat inside his ribcage. Another rhythm of the thumping of blood, was clear in his head. He knew what was happening. Sometimes when an Immortal was in very deep contact with life around himself, he would be able to make a sort of contact with beings around him. That was happening to him now, for the second time in his entire life.

          But the contact was soon broken when Nicolai took a swing at him and broke his concentration. He managed to cut Aoshi's face, below his left eye, but he soon received pay back. Aoshi twisted his katana in his hand, so that the hilt turned upwards, and he plunged it in Nicolai's stomach. Just when Nicolai doubled over himself, Aoshi jumped out of his sword reach and turned his sword again. While turning it, Aoshi distinctly felt the blade cutting flesh. Nicolai's head rolled a bit far from them and his body dropped to the floor with a sickening thud.

          The first lightning bolt appeared over his car, followed by millions of them. Aoshi felt a bolt touch one of his fingers and the current move up his body, to his brains. Thousands of bolts made the same trip, all concentrating on his brains. It wasn't painful, no. It was exhilarating. No wonder certain Immortals got addicted to it. It was refreshing. A true Awakening for those who never died.

          When it died down, Aoshi fell on his knees, a bit tired from the fight and all that energy running around his body. Right when he was catching his breath again, that other heart invaded his senses, that running blood took hold of his veins and now he felt the oxygen lacking. But he wasn't the one lacking oxygen, she was.

          Aoshi looked up, to see Misao crouching down and that Japanese guy almost over her. Aoshi was in a dilemma: get involved in the fight and save Misao or act honorably and leave her to deal with the guy? He knew that she would be extremely pissed off, if he invaded the fight, but he couldn't care less. This was Misao, his mate, which was in risk of losing her head right in front of him. He didn't want another close friend to die, while he looked and did nothing. Four were enough. Just as Aoshi rose to give the other man a piece of his mind, Misao did it herself. Aoshi saw her left hand leave the hilt and it closed like a fist and dived right in the middle of the Japanese wide open legs. Aoshi totally froze and just stared as Misao grabbed the guy's family jewels, while piercing him with her katana through the chest.

          Then it all happened too fast. Misao jumped from under the guy, a bit to far from him, a car drove out of nowhere between the two of them and then drove away, with the Japanese guy inside it.

          Aoshi could still feel Misao trying to catch her breath back and her beating heart was inside him. Both of them looked at each other and, without a word, dove inside their car and followed the other one, who was already a bit far. Aoshi started the car, while Misao tried to see the other car.

          "I think they went through those pines. Is there a road behind them?" Misao asked, looking from the pines to Aoshi. When she leaned back against the seat she still felt the wound on her backside. It still hadn't healed.

          "Hai. After those pines there's a small country road that connects with the national road, 30 km from here, if I'm not mistaken." Aoshi headed for the pines to and, after passing them, Misao saw a small road that most probably was part of an estate. Lucky for them the road was straight, so they finally saw the escaping car, some distance in front of them.

  


          Saitoh put out his cigarette and turned the engine off. He didn't get out of his car right away. Instead he looked ahead and sighed. He had been a cop before he died, and he had continued working as one after that; and he knew what it meant to work as one. But the entire present situation was getting out of hand and pretty messy and confusing.

          He looked at himself in the rear mirror and found a pair of tired eyes looking at him. They still held that amber glow, but the last few years had been very tiring. Even if he and Aoshi and that Weasel girl managed to beat all those bastards, what was the point? Yeah, sure, for the better good! The bad guys had to lose to the good guys, like in the politically correct movies. And then what? Get back to his bachelor life and pretend he liked it. It was so strange the feelings he had been having those last few days. He was a man of the Meiji Era and, even if he wasn't exactly a very friendly man, he was used to his environment. His whole way of life was set in those days, and he had always felt empty facing a future he shouldn't be in. He had watched his wife become older and died in front of his eyes and all his acquaintances with her. Hell! He even missed that ahou chickenhead! All of them and that world were part of him. And, contrary to expectancies and believes, he hated his life. But, he thought raising his eyes to the Shinomori mansion, Saitoh Haijime didn't give up on anything. And he would die fighting, for sure.

          He finally opened the door and got out of the car. Ten marble steps preceded the mansion's front door. After ascending those stairs, Saitoh rang the bell and lighted another cigarette, while he waited for someone to open the door for him. As expected, Shirai opened the door with his fixed facial expression, and Saitoh wondered if Aoshi had taught him that little trick. But, as soon as Shirai noticed that it was him in front of his master's door, he looked kind of happy.

          "Saitoh-san, I'm so glad to see you right now!" The butler declared, with a relieved look to his face. " Come right in and please follow me." Saitoh was led through the large living room, until Shirai faced a closed door. The butler knocked twice, then waited.

          "Hai?" Saitoh heard Aoshi's voice answer.

          "Sir, Saitoh-san is right here. May I introduce him in?" He asked.

          "Yes, Shirai, come right in." Shirai opened the door and then stepped aside to let Saitoh pass. Inside the room was an office, with a cherry wood table where Misao was sitting, facing the door. Aoshi sat on a large chair, behind the table. Both of them held a glass of red wine. Saitoh couldn't help but notice that Misao looked tired and frustrated with something. Aoshi, like always, looked calm. Shirai entered after him and looked at Misao.

          "Does the lady need anything?" He asked, his voice coated with concern. Misao gave him a weak smile and shook her head.

          "No, Shirai. I'm feeling much better. Thank you for your concern." Shirai bowed and then excused himself. Saitoh took another drag from his cigarette.

          "I thought I was tired, but you two look like shit." He declared. Misao sighed and Aoshi rubbed his forehead. "I came here because, as you might've noticed, all the action is here now. I received notice today that Kurisumi and Heiji were found dead."

          "Where?" Aoshi asked, taking a sip from his wine. "Do you want something to drink, Saitoh?" He asked. He's first reaction was refusal, but he decided to accept.

          "A Martini would suit me fine. Shaken, please." [can you picture Saitoh asking for a martini? Bwahahahaha] Misao got up from the table and moved to a mini bar set on the far right end of the room. Both men watched as she poured the liquids inside the shaker and then pour it into the wide glass, that already contained an olive. She moved closer and handed him his drink.

          "Aoshi and I found Nicolai, Saitoh." She stated. His only reply was an arch of one eyebrow. "It appears like he joined Timon and Diego even before he got here."

          "What are we going to do with him now?" Saitoh asked. Aoshi shrugged his shoulders.

          "No need to worry. I've dealt with the man and he's taken care of." He placed his glass on the table. "Then we chased the Japanese guy of his group for at least 15 km; at the end of which, he started firing at us. Misao managed to shoot the guy who was driving his car, and it crashed into one of those huge walls." Saitoh took a sip from his Martini and he had to admit she knew how to do them. He looked at her and found her staring at his hand that was holding his lighted cigarette. By the look of things, she needed it more than him.

          "Want it, Weasel?" He asked, showing her the cigarette. She shook her head again.

          "No, thanks. Took me fifteen years to quit them."

          "Well, it's not like you don't have until the end of the world to stop again." He declared, but continued smoking it and looking at Aoshi.

          "Well, the guy that was driving seemed dead, but we don't know if he was an Immortal or not. The Japanese guy, on the contrary, jumped out of the car just in time for a fight with Misao." Saitoh observed Aoshi looking at Misao, with concern. " Unfortunately the owner of the crashed wall appeared and we had to go, not to call attention." Aoshi sighed and grabbed his glass again. " I sent my team to watch the site, all the same."

          "What are we going to do?" Misao asked them both. " We have no idea where they are and what or who they'll do next! Besides that, this business is starting to call too much attention. And they are getting very dangerous! I'm amazed the Immortal society hasn't realized what was going on!"

          "That's because the Watchers are covering it. By the way, I've had a team working on the files we stole from them and trying to contact our friends inside the Watchers."

          "And?" Aoshi asked.

          "The Watcher assigned to watching Timon is one Milo Tamen and he's disappeared for six months. I doubt he's dead, but I think we need to find him." At that moment a cell-phone rang and Aoshi picked his up.

          "Hai? Yes, Monty, I hear you... Did you take photos of those guys? Good. I'll be there as soon as possible." Aoshi hung up and looked at them. " A group of Watchers came to the crashing site and cleaned it up. Monty says they even paid the wall guy for the damages! He took photos of them and I'm going to the office to see them to try and identify them. You're coming with me?" Both Misao and Saitoh nodded, and in minutes, they were all inside Aoshi's Mercedes, heading for downtown Tokyo.

          The office was located in a tall building, one of those where the firm's name was placed on the building lobby. Aoshi's office was named «Shinomori's Security»; simple, direct and it pretty much managed to cover all the operations handled on that floor. They got outside of the elevator and a middle-aged woman greeted Aoshi.

          "They're all in the computers room, Shinomori-san." Aoshi nodded and led them to that room. There, sitting each in front of a different computer with their eyes strained on the screen and typing like mad, sat six people. When Aoshi closed the door, they all looked up.

          "Chief, we've managed to identify two of those Watchers." One man said, typing. After one second, the large screen on the far wall turned on and the picture of a blonde guy, with a long, blonde pony-tail appeared, talking with another guy. This one was shorter, obviously Japanese.

          "Who are they, Monty?" Aoshi asked the man. Monty typed again and the computer isolated the blonde guy's face. Next to it appeared his data.

          "Meet Milo Tamen, Chief. He's…"

          "Timon's Watcher." Saitoh said.

          "Exactly. The guy's 36, single and has had a brilliant carrer, that is until he disappeared six months ago and never appeared again. We don't know where he's been or if he's been in hiding, but it seems obvious he's working with Timon on this one." Monty typed again and the other guy appeared. " This is Eric Takanoha. He's 27, and he started working not long ago."

          "Has he disappeared too?" Asked Misao.

          "No, he's been going to work and reporting like he should, every day. He's currently living at the Warehouse district." Monty printed the guy's data, along with his address, and gave it to Aoshi.

          "Well, let's pay a little visit to Takanoha. What do you think?" Aoshi suggested.

          "It's not like we have anything else." Misao said.

          "What about the others?" Aoshi asked Monty.

          "There's two more, but we haven't managed to identify them. I'll call you as soon as we do."

          "You do that" Then Aoshi, Misao and Saitoh left the officer and the building. They headed for the Warehouse district.

  


          Well, what do ya think? I want reviews, you hear me? So click on that little button and write me a good review.

Thanks for reading,

MaRiAnA-chan


	13. Gone everywhere

HI! Me again. Here is the next chapter! I haven't started the next chapter yet, but the 2nd 'Starts..' chapter is almost ready.

Hope you like this chapter…

  


Even through eternity

Chapter 11

          Misao couldn't help but feel guilty and amused at the same time. Mostly because of her thoughts, her mind that didn't seem able to get out of the gutter even at a time like that! She tried to excuse herself, after all she had always had a… vivid imagination and considering she was sitting so near Aoshi, it was impossible not to fantasize. It was impossible not to think of him touching her, from her head down to her toes. She remembered her acquired knowledge in physical pleasures and had to wonder how he would react when he found what she could do with her body… and his. With her intense physic life style, she could place herself in millions different positions, her body would obey her in every way and she knew how to profit from that. She had to bit her tongue to force herself to return to reality.

            It was a lie that her body would obey to her every thought. There was an infallible way of making it act of its own accord: Aoshi's body. And it had been proved to her just that same day. When Aoshi and she had returned from Kanou Amora's house, where they had met Nicolai, she had been very worried. She knew she had lost another of her few long friends, or what she had thought was a friend. Aoshi had left her to take a shower and change clothes and she had distracted herself with a glass of wine and a book, in her room. But her 'oh so obeying' body couldn't help but take notice of the running water noise. Yes, she had admit that she had been turned on by that noise, because she couldn't stop herself and imagine it running in rivers down Aoshi's body. Then her brain had supplied the image of clouds of steam rising and water clinging to his skin.

            She swore she hadn't meant to, but in seconds she had found herself in his room. The sunlight had been shining through the almost drawn together curtains and had cast shadows all over the room. Right next to the door were neatly placed a pair of bedroom slippers, waiting to be used. Misao had closed the door and all the noise from outside had stayed there and inside only the sound of water could be heard. Less than a meter away from the slippers a shirt had been thrown and then, on the way to the bathroom, lay  Aoshi's pants. Misao had never pegged him for a careless man, but time had changed him and she couldn't wait to learn all about those little things.

            She had grabbed his shirt and had risen it to her nose, trying to catch that subtle smell that was Aoshi's. And there it was: salty, earthy and, amazingly enough, the touch of leather. It had to be from his car seats. But non the less, that smell didn't help her calm down, quite the contrary. So she had dropped the shirt and, before she couldn't stop herself and grab his pants, Misao grabbed hold of her wineglass and had contented herself with his window view. That is, until he came out of his bath, only clad in a flimsy towel. Then his chest had completely blocked her brain. She, in fact, couldn't remember very well what she had done and said during that time and the time she woke from her stupor and found herself face to face with an extremely flushed Aoshi, with a tremendous hard-on. What ever it had been, Misao could bloody well feel proud, because Aoshi would never be able to say he hadn't been tremendously horny at that point!

            So, now that she was sitting less than 40 cm from him, while he drove them to Eric Takanoha's house, Misao was feeling guilty and amused, because she couldn't help her brain and eyes to follow his every move, the way he handled the gear-shift. Unfortunately for her Saitoh sat in the back seat, chain-smoking and, by the smile she could see in his face, in the mirror, Saitoh looked like he knew what he was doing to her. She felt uncomfortable with him around, because her body couldn't avoid being perpetually aroused around Aoshi. It was her immortal plague, but she would be making sure he felt it. Oh yeah!

  


            Aoshi had drove to the warehouse district in deep thought, but he would have to be in really deep thoughts to miss the sexual tension coming from Misao. He wondered if she understood herself what she was doing, because it was clear in the smallest things, starting in her posture. Her chest was sticking slightly up, because of her harsh breathing, and she even had her legs slightly opened. It was a clear message when her eyes followed his hand on the gear-shift and back to the steering wheel. He felt like an animal at the zoo, being closely watched. When her eyes trailed down to his thighs Aoshi looked closer at her face: her cheeks were flushed, her lips were parted and her tongue made quick darts over them to wet them. It was one of the most erotic images he had ever seen and… and… Saitoh was in the back seat, smoking like a chimney. Fuck!

            Well, it wasn't all Saitoh's fault. Even if he hadn't been there, Aoshi couldn't just stop at the road's edge and have a quickie. They were in a rush, people were dying! Damn to hell his sense of honor, sometimes he just wished to throw everything to hell and escape with Misao to Tahiti or something. Maybe when all that mess had been solved, they would be able to pack and leave for a quiet place for a while. And have long, steamy sex. He could barely wait. Oh yeah!

            The address Monty had printed corresponded to an old and shabby building, that appeared to have five floors and two of them must've been abandoned. Most of the building's windows were broken, except the ones on the last floor that was owned by Eric Takanoha. Aoshi parked his car on the other side of the road and they crossed it. Saitoh got to the front door first and, with a violent push, the old door gave way to a dark and dusty corridor. Saitoh threw his smoke to the floor and stepped on it, before entering. Misao followed, leaving Aoshi in the rear. At the end of the corridor there were stairs, which didn't look all that safe, and a large elevator, which must be used to load large weights, stood to their right. Saitoh opened the elevator and then closed it behind them. The elevator gave directly way to the floors or houses. The last floor had large, blood red curtains over the elevator's door, but no kind of protection from intruders.

            "This is a really secluded place, I doubt anyone would pay visits to Eric." Saitoh whispered, looking around to see if the owner of the house was there. But the silence and stillness that answered them told them the house was empty. The entrance hall was completely empty of furniture, except a large sculpture of marble, of a warrior carrying it's sword. " Little Eric looks well off."

            "A sculpture of this kind is quite expensive." Misao said, having worked in the art business herself. "And notice how the house is restored inside. This must've cost big money too." On either side of the hall there were two doors. They found that the one on the right gave way to a small toilet, but the one on the left led them to a large room. It was fill with sculptures and, hanging on the walls, there were at least fifteen ancient swords. "This collection is worth millions! Who the hell is this guy?"

            "Maybe this will help us figure that out." Saitoh said, from the end of the room. On the farthest wall were hanging Eric's diplomas. " He apparently went to Oxford, got a graduation in Physics and – you'll never guess."

            "What?" Misao asked, leaning over a glass container where an old book about the Immortals lay.

            "This guy, who is only 27, has graduations in Physics, History and Psychology. This guy must be a genius or something!" Next to those three diplomas, family photos were also hanging. Eric appeared to be the son of a Japanese and a Western, because his hair was light brown, almost blond. His pointy eyes appeared to be of a light color too. In all his photos he showed an easy-going smile, which no doubt made him irresistible with the ladies. In most of those photos he appeared accompanied by a young Japanese girl, who looked like many others. The only thing special about her was her smile: it was a big, goofy smile that got to her eyes. It was a really nice smile.

            Aoshi made his way to that wall and looked at those pictures. He observed closely one of them, where Eric was hugging the girl. Saitoh passed it as nothing special, until Aoshi took it from the wall and opened the frame. In the back of the picture an inscription was written.

To Eric from Omata, with love.

19.6.2000

            Aoshi closed the frame and placed it on the wall again. Misao, by this time had already opened Eric's private working table. It was one of those closed ones, with lots of small drawers. Misao opened each of them, finding bills, receipts, unused paper… Until she tried opening one of the smallest drawers and found it locked. Misao looked around herself and found a letter-opening. Carefully, not to leave any mark, she put it over the drawer's lock and gently pushed. After some moments of pressure the lock gave way and Misao quickly opened it. The drawer contained two stacks of letters, tied together by two ropes. Misao untied the first stack and read the writer's name. Imagata Omata, living in Tokushima near the Xicoco mounts, on the island of the same name of the archipelago that is Japan. Misao read all the sixteen letters, which were made of usual references to the weather on the island, about the hot, but still rainy days Omata passed there. She gave him accounts to her goings to the beach, about the soft sand and she the clear water that composed the Seto see. She would sometimes ask him to go visit her and she never once mentioned an occupation or job. She looks bored, but resigned. Until her last letter, which was dated from two weeks before. It was a long letter, unlike all the other, where she exposed her utter boredom, her hope for more and showed Eric her lack of belief in his excuses not to go see her.

«I know you say this is for my own security, but I'm not able to live here for one more day, not even one more hour. This is not a place where a daughter of Tokyo is able to live. I've seen places and I've seen them with you, so I'm sure you'll understand me. I don't understand what you're doing, for I never even understood what you do for a living! I know you're not a cop nor a detective, but you carry a gun and you have a police officer's schedule. What do you do? What does that tattoo you have inside your wrist mean?

Believe me, I wouldn't mind to hide if you told me I was in danger because of your job and your enemies. Well, that was what you told me, but I need to know what you're doing every day. If it endangers me, it endangers you and I can't imagine anything good when you can't even visit me for one week! I would feel better if you told me you're a hit man or something! Everything is better than not knowing!

I've made up my mind. I've already bought a ticket and I'm arriving in Tokyo in three days. I'll be waiting for you at my house. There's nothing you can tell me that will make me change my mind. I miss my dad and my sister. I miss you! You're letters are always so cold. I know they have to be, because you're hiding your true self from me. That job of yours takes up all your time and you can't have anything to tell me, if you wish to hide it from me. I love you and I'm coming back, even if it means losing my life.»

She had send kisses and them signed. Misao looked better at the letter: the writing was that of a disturbed person. She turned around and called Aoshi and Saitoh. They read the letter and looked at each other.

"I'll tell Monty to try and find Omata's address in Tokyo." Aoshi said. "Do you think Eric send her to Tokushima to protect her from Immortals?"

"It depends." Saitoh replied, lighting another cigarette. "He can be a Watcher's traitor and he may be afraid the Immortals  find him out. Or he could be working with the traitors undercover and be afraid they'll find out."

"On either case, do you think she's still alive?" Misao asked, untying the rope around the other stack.

"I think so. If she's already dead that would mean he had been found out, so he wouldn't have been where he was this afternoon." Saitoh said, looking over her shoulder at the new letters. This stack was bigger than the other one and  it was in fact made up of reports and not letters. The reports were written by different Watchers, just usual reports. But there were at least twenty different reports, that they didn't have time to read at the moment. Aoshi grabbed his small camera and photographed each one of them. Misao was tying the stack again when the phone rang. Once… Twice… Third…

"_Hi, this is Eric and I'm not in at the moment. Please leave a message after the bip and I'll call you when I can. Thank you."_

"Eric, where the fuck are you?! You're supposed to be here and I can't reach you at you cell-phone. I've had enough of your disappearance acts and I don't like them one bit! I hope you have a good excuse. Call me."

The three of them watched the message recorder as if it might jump up and attack them. Then they looked at each other and sighed.

"I know it's not a great idea, because of the cell-phones and all, but can we tag his phone?" Misao asked, not used to the detective work they were doing. Aoshi nodded and grabbed his own cell-phone.

"Monty, I need someone to come over here and tag this guy's phone. Oh, and by the way, I want all the available data on one Imagata Omata."

Then they moved out of the living room, into a small bedroom. It had a large, king-sized bed, with common cotton sheets. Over the bedside table there was a photo of Omata and another of a couple, probably Eric's parents. The room's walls were covered with book shelves and over the floor laid a red carpet. Then there was another bathroom and a large kitchen. When they were looking inside the kitchen cabinets, Aoshi's phone rang once and then they heard the elevator move. Misao and Saitoh looked at him.

"It's alright. It's them." They returned to the entrance hall and welcomed Antonio, who carried a suitcase.

"So, boss, what's the job?" He asked, looking at the sculpture.

"You just have to tag the phone."

"Sure, where is it?"

"Over here." All of them entered the large living room. Antonio whistled, looking at all the exposed art.

"A millionaire Watcher?" Antonio sat besides the phone and placed the instrument inside it in three minutes. "Well, those traitors have to earn something for betraying there own, right?" He said, while working. Aoshi, Misao and Saitoh looked at each other, assuring themselves they had all thought of that. "There. All done!"

"Then lets go." Saitoh said, moving out of the room. They got out of the building and into the car. When they were moving down the street, Misao saw in the rear-mirror a car stop in front of the same building and a man get out of it. By the hair color it seemed like Eric was returning home. Misao turned to Aoshi.

"Can we hear that tag already?" She asked.

"Yeah, sure." He looked at her. " What for?"

"I think Eric just got home." Aoshi grabbed his phone and called Antonio, who was in a car just behind them.

"Antonio, start taping now. Eric just got home." He hung up and looked at Misao. "This is getting so confusing." He sighed and seemed to be thinking. "Misao."

"Yes?"

"What do you say to a trip to Tokyo?" Misao looked at him and understood immediately. He wanted to find Omata and dig anything he could.

"You find that address and the ticket, and I'm ready."

"Good. Saitoh, will you stay here and run things for some time? We won't take long." Saitoh nodded and lighted another cigarette.

  


"_We will be landing in 10 minutes. The temperature in Tokyo is 27º, with 10 km/hour winds. It's a sunny afternoon and we hope you enjoyed the trip."_

Aoshi closed his book and looked out the window. He could already see Tokyo beneath them, interrupted by white clouds. On his other side Misao slept on her seat. She had refused being seated by the window, she had said she preferred the aisle seat. She had slept almost the entire trip, which hadn't been all that much time.

Looking at her Aoshi didn't feel like waking her up just yet. Her face was turned to him, her hair wasn't in its customary braid, but loose over her shoulders and chest. It was so pretty! Her long eyelashes rested on her cheeks, she was flushed and her lips red.

The stewardess came to them to tell them to buck their sit-belts. Aoshi did his and Misao's, without waking her. Misao groaned and laid her head in his shoulder. Aoshi couldn't help but kiss the top of his head and drew the hair off her face. The plane landed softly on the track and then Aoshi eventually had to wake Misao up.

They were waiting for their bags, when Aoshi switched his phone on. After some seconds he received notice that he had a voice message.

"_Aoshi, this is Saitoh. The tag on Eric's house hasn't given us much. He's made two calls to a club outside of town, that Monty is already checking out, and one to a Cheryl Maddock, who conveniently enough is Imagata Omata's neighbor. Monty tells me she moved in to her new apartment one week after Omata returned. I'm trying to see Eric's telephone records, but I'm almost certain Cheryl was placed there to watch Omata. I'll call you when something new comes up."_

Aoshi told Misao what had been said in the message and both of them agree with Saitoh's opinion about Cheryl Maddock. They left the airport and caught a taxi to their new address, one small apartment near Omata's that Saitoh had supplied.

The taxi stopped in front of a recent building of glass, which had a doorman at the bottom waiting to open the door for them. Each one of them carried just one bag, where they had a small amount of clothes and their swords. They entered the apartment and dropped their bags in their rooms.

"So, what's the plan?" Misao asked, looking at a cheap painting hanging on a wall.

"I was thinking about trying to become friends with Omata." He said, after expressing his distaste for the painting. "Maybe you could start. You know, you're new here and so on."

"Won't that take too long? We haven't exactly got years to solve this, right?" Aoshi seemed to digest what she said.

"You're right." He said after a while. "What about you try to talk to her and, by accident, you end up showing the tattoo on your wrist."

"What tattoo? – Oh! My new tattoo."

"Yes, that one. Then she'll recognize it and will try to know what it is, since she doesn't know what it stands for."

"Ok. And where are we going to find someone to draw that thing on my wrist? It ain't exactly a trendy figure."

"Leave that to me."

  


            Omata closed her apartment door with one hand and tried to balance the large packing with the other. She had been cleaning her place since she had returned from that God forsaken town, so she was going to donate some of her old studying books to the local library. Omata sighed. Since she had returned Eric hadn't called her at all and she hadn't been able to call him, because he had changed his number and his new number didn't come listed. She wanted to see him so bad!

            Her thoughts were interrupted when her new neighbor opened her door and came outside, with her bobtail, a very large dog. The dog itself looked nice, but its owner scared her like hell. It looked like Cheryl, her neighbor's name, was constantly checking her out and the thing was that she always left her house when she did! It was so weird!

            "Hello, Omata. How are you?" Omata nodded and patted the dog's head. "I'm going out to walk Mart. And you?"

            "Oh, I'm going to the library to donate these books." Cheryl nodded. "Well, bye."

            "See ya!"

            Omata walked out of the building and turned right, to the library. She hadn't turned the corner when a small hand touched her shoulder. Omata quickly turned around and couldn't help but imagine that behind her was one of those men Eric feared so much. But no, behind her, with a look of a completely lost person, was a young woman with long, black hair and dressed in what looked like an expensive Dolce&Gabana suit, considering the initials on her jacket pocket. Omata was the daughter of a rich man and had always nurtured one the worst habit rich people had: she was a total shopoholic. So, considering she had just returned from Tokushima, she had to delight her eyes on the new model the young woman wore.

            "Hi. I'm sorry, but I'm kind of new in these parts and I've a meeting in a place called…" She looked at a paper on her hand and tried to read it, but Omata wasn't concerned about that anymore. On the woman's wrist, clear as Eric's, was a circular tattoo. The woman looked up and Omata had to pretend to be waiting for her to speak. "It's called 'Dolce amore', I think it's an Italian restaurant. However I have no idea where it is. Can you help me? It's getting late." She raised her sleeve, to look at her watch, and Omata's eyes turned to her wrist again.

            Could this woman be after her, like Eric had told her? He had never told her any traits about those people and he had never explained the meaning of that tattoo to her. The young woman looked so peaceful and nice! The kind of girl she would have befriended if they had met each other in one of her father's parties. Now that she looked closely at her Omata realized she had blue eyes and she was smiling at her.

            "Are you okay, Miss? You seem a bit out of it." The girl said, looking at Omata and she realized she had been looking for too long. "I better take you somewhere and buy you a water or something. You look like you could need something to eat too." She started to turn around, to cross the street into a coffee shop on the other side, and pulled Omata with her. "I'm Ikumi, by the way. What's your name?"

            "O-Omata." They had already crossed the street when Omata remembered Ikumi had a meting to attend to. "What about your meting?"

            "Oh, it's just a weird kind of date, with an ex-boyfriend. I never wanted to go in the first place, so now I have an excuse to dump him." She answered with a smile. She entered the coffee shop and sat in a reclusive table. Omata watched her closely as she looked around, called the waiter and, while ordering, managed to flirt with him. The young man moved away from their table with his face turned completely red! Ikumi seemed to be enjoying herself, looking around.

            "So, what are all those books for?" She asked, when her 'guy-inspection' finished.

            "Oh, they're old books that I'm donating to the library." Omata answered, while Ikumi took off her jacket. Omata was sure she must've looked a bit stupid, when she realized Ikumi only had a skimpy white top under the jacket.

            "Never was one for much reading." Ikumi said, turning her pretty nose in a display of distaste. "My job doesn't need extensive reading, if you know what I mean." She said. Omata realized she couldn't let that chance go: she figured that Ikumi, though nice, was a stupid bimbo, of which she would easily snatch information. She just had to be careful.

            "Really? What do you do? Are you a model?" She asked, trying to sweet talk her way in. Ikumi giggled.

            "No, not really. I'm more in surveillance and that sort of stuff." Now that was strange, Omata thought. What could surveillance possibly have to do with that tattoo both Eric and Ikumi had?

            "Surveillance? Are you a cop?" In the meant time the waiter returned with their drinks and Ikumi grabbed the chance to slip a large tip inside the young man's pants. Omata couldn't see where she got the guts to do that! Sure she was very pretty, gorgeous even, but one had to be gutsy to pull that one off!

            "He has the must amazing ass, doesn't he?" Ikumi asked, when the waiter walked away. Omata just smiled weakly and took a sip from her drink. When she looked at Ikumi again, she was watching something behind her very closely.

            "What's the matter, Ikumi-san?" Omata turned her head and immediately found what the other woman's stare source. It was a man, in his late twenties, tall and awfully cute. If she wasn't so in love with Eric, she might have seconds thoughts while watching that man.

            "That's quite an addition to the universe." Ikumi whispered. Omata realized that she would have to make her questions fast, while she was in a daze.

            "So, does that tattoo have anything to do with your surveillance job?" Omata asked. Ikumi nodded dumbly. "And is it dangerous?" Another nod. "Who do you watch?"

            "Oh, just these possible murderous and make sure they don't step out of line." At first Omata thought she might be pulling her leg, but Ikumi was still in a complete daze over the other tall fellow. Then, when truth stepped in, she realized Eric was working with very dangerous people, like he had said. Well now she knew what he did for a living, but she wanted more. Omata looked from Ikumi's tattoo to the woman's face – maybe she knew Eric and where he was.

            "Uh, do you know a Takanoha Eric?" She asked with a soft voice. Ikumi seemed to have woken up all of the sudden.

            "Eric? You mean a blond, light colored-eyes, always smiling Eric?" She asked nervously. Omata didn't know what to say, but she ended up nodding.

            "Yeah, I know him." Her face seemed to harden. "He works where I do, but the little bastard betrayed us and is now working for those murders." Ikumi seemed to be totally enraged. Omata shook her head, it wasn't possible… "He just wanted to get his hands on their dirty money so now…"

            "That not true!" Omata screamed. "He is a decent man, he just wants to do the right thing! He told me he was going to catch them and stop it all. I don't know what or why, but I know he would never work for killers just for money! He's already rich." Omata grabbed her purse and ran out the coffee shop, not even remembering her books.

  


            Aoshi watched Omata walk out the coffee shop and turned his head towards the other woman, who had been left there. Her eyes were set on him, with a not so happy look in her eyes. She probably didn't like her last conversation one bit, he figured. He watched her leave money on the table, get off the chair and walk up to him. He had to admit she looked great in those clothes and she had an air of a predator.

            "Hi there, gorgeous." She said when she reached him.

            "Hi yourself. Want to sit?" She sat on the chair next to him. "So, what did she say, Misao?"

            "Well, she swallowed the 'I'm a dumb bimbo that only cares about sex' story and started asking questions. But, apparently, she is certain Eric would never work for murderous just for money, and that he told her he would catch them. Whoever the hell 'them' is." Misao answered.

            "That's all?"

            "Well, I figured that the only way for me to get an answer out of her was to provoke her, but I may have over done it a bit. She ran out of here as if – shit!" Misao eyes were set on the door, with a look of terror. Before Aoshi had time to turn his head to look, she grabbed his head and kissed him. He was a bit amazed at first, but he found impossible not to answer to that kiss. His left hand went around her waist and his right dived in her hair, deepening their kiss. Misao's hands also made their way to his body, one in his hair and the other in his thigh, for leverage he supposed. When the kiss ended, for it had to considering they needed oxygen to live, Misao giggled. He found it strange, but then, out the corned of his eye he saw Omata pick up her large package. He also noticed that the entire coffee house was staring at them. He had to give Misao some credit, for her quick thinking. Omata was returning and was going to pass right behind them. Misao giggled again.

            "How about we go to a more private place, handsome?" She asked, with a purring voice. He couldn't help but be excited, even if it was all just an act, remembering to her tease another day.

            "Sure. Lead the way." By this time Omata had already ran out the shop and was crossing the street. Misao dragged Aoshi out the coffee shop and they entered his car. Aoshi looked at his mirror and saw Omata walking down the street, in the library's direction. He also saw a tall blonde woman walked a few meters behind. Apparently Cheryl was still following Eric's girlfriend. Aoshi looked at Misao and caught her looking at him. He couldn't help but regret the fact that she didn't feel comfortable in that kind of clothes. She was a total knockout.

            "You know," she said, "she found you hot."

            "What?!" Aoshi smiled, he could fell the humor in her teasing.

            "Oh, yeah, I saw her eyes run over that thigh butt of yours." Aoshi was now laughing. It was impossible not to, she was already wearing a small smile. "If we didn't need information, I might have boxed her."

            "Right. If I went out punching every guy that looks you over, half Kyoto and half Tokyo would already by punched drunk." He answered, starting the car. He heard her laughter, then felt her lean over and peck him in the cheek. He caressed her hair and then drove them to his apartment.

            "So… now what do we do with this information?" Misao asked.

            "We'll report it to Saitoh, put someone watching Omata (and Cheryl, by the way) and try to communicate with Eric."

            "How can you be certain that he's not a traitor? I mean, yeah, Omata said he wouldn't do any kind of dirty job for money, but she's his girlfriend, for Christ sake. What kind of guy would tell his girlfriend that he's a traitor, a dirtbag and that he's meddling in things he shouldn't be?"

            "I think we'll have to risk it, Misao. We are stuck, we can't go back and we can't move ahead, unless we take a chance and trust this Eric guy." Aoshi said, stopping at a red light. Misao didn't like it one bit. They were in it too deep to just 'risk' it. What if they trusted this guy and he ended up betraying them? She had just found Aoshi again and they were beginning a new relationship, she didn't feel like dying very much. She would like to around for at least a couple of more centuries, around him if possible. The idea of HIM dying wasn't pleasant in the least. If he died now, they might as well kill her too.

            Misao looked at him, while he waited for the signal to open. She could tell he was deep in thought, because he had a thin line crossing his forehead and one of his mouth's corner was in a funny angle – he would always do that, even before, when she had been just a child. It was a very mild twitch of the mouth, barely visible, but for her everything he did was worth mentioning. She was rippled out of her thoughts by the ringing of Aoshi's phone. He grabbed it and started driving, for the signal had went green.

            "Yes?… Who is this?" Misao looked at him, he seemed even more troubled, he was looking at her with concern. "Very well." He hang up and turned the left sign on.

            "What's happening?" Misao asked, they were supposed to go in front, not turn left.

            "We're being followed." He stated.

            "What? How are we going to diss them?"

            "We aren't. They just called me and told me to pull up, or they'd shoot us." He answered, calmly, looking in his rear mirror.

            "Who is 'them' anyway, God damnit?" Misao shrieked.

            "Milo and his friends. I wouldn't be surprised if he had a couple of Immortals with him."

            "Or Eric himself." She muttered.

  


Hope you liked it. Please review for me. hanks for reading!

MaRiAnA-chan


	14. Author's Note

Hi! As you all must've noticed, I haven't written in a long time. Don't fret; I'm not about to say that I'll stop them. I intend on finishing every one of them, especially Even through eternity and some new ones I've thought up and started writing, but have not published. The thing is, this is my last year before entering college and my exams and knocking at the door. I'm sure you all understand that this is a very important year for me and the results of these exams are crucial. As I can't spend a week without reading all these amazing new fics that you all write, my free time isn't enough to write new chapters (even though the next chapter for my Aoshi&Misao/Highlander crossover is almost finished). I'm writing this note because I've receiver mails asking if I didn't plane on finishing them. I just want to assure you all that I will be finishing them, after my exams. I apologise for the inconvenience and hope that you'll wait just a bit more. Thank you for your understanding!  
  
MaRiAnA-chan 


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